The Greatest Bounty
by Shmack1812
Summary: When you want a job done right, you go to the right man, Boba Fett, the galaxy's most dangerous and relentless bounty hunter. As long as the pay is good and it adheres to his code? No job is too great for the Mandalorian, but when a job goes south and Boba finds himself thrust into events and a world far beyond his scope? He does what he does best...business as usual.
1. Just Another Job

**Before I go on, I hope everyone had a good Christmas and is on their way towards an even better new years day.**

 **Now for those who are familiar with the other GATE story I'm working on. You're probably thinking, "Okay what the hell, this isn't a new chapter for Here We Go Again."**

 **Have no fear, in fact I'm just about done with the latest chapter. I plan on alternating between a chapter for this story and a chapter for my other story. This way both continue to be regularly updated.  
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 **In all honesty, _this_ was to supposed be my first fiction. I've always wanted to a do a fiction based on my favorite science fiction character of all time and place him into an anime/manga universe I thought he'd really stand out in.**

 ***edit* Shout out to Zezia for helping me doctor this chapter up. There was a lot of grammatical problems that I didn't catch going through the drafts.  
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* * *

 **The Greatest Bounty**

 **Chapter 1: Just Another Job**

" _Buy'ce olar, kar'ta ogir-Helmet on, heart gone._ "

Mandalorian proverb spoken before battle.

In the dull glow and bustle of Mos Eisly's Cantina, the galaxy's most renown Bounty Hunter was taking on a job. It wasn't anything fancy, but he needed the money. As the Cantina's band played one of their famous songs, the bounty hunter made his way through the bustling crowd.

Everywhere he went both people and aliens alike gave him a wide berth, in the earlier times the band would have promptly stopped playing and everyone would have cleared out upon seeing him. These days respect was mutual, as long as nobody interfered with his business nobody would have to get hurt.

Finally seeing his clients, the bounty hunter made his way to the other side of the cantina's crowded interior and slowly sat down at a circular table. Across from him sat three dishevelled and intimidated male Corellian archaeologists. Garbed in loose fitting tan robes, they regarded him with fear in their eyes and for good reason. One wrong move, one wayward word, and all of them could be but ash piles on the ground.

That been said, the bounty hunter had given them a little notion of respect. Only the brave, powerful, or foolish dared call upon his services. These three needed the best, so they called upon the best.

Boba Fett.

For a few moments, the only sounds that could be heard were languages of various species going back and forth, the Cantina music continuing on in the background. Eventually, Boba took the lead, the Corellians seemed to scare to actually say anything. His voice came through an external speaker as he sat there like a statue.

"I got the call from your employers..."

Quickly composing himself the lead archaeologist, or rather who Boba assumed was the leader of this trio, coughed and began to respond.

"O-oh...So...can you do this?"

Boba's helmet slowly cocked to the side, as if utterly confused at the question being asked. "You question my reputation?"

"N-no, I merely ask as I'm not sure if a bounty hunter of your calibre would take on such an m-mediocre.."

Leaning back in his chair, Boba got a quick stretch in. As he returned to his original position, he began to respond, "As long as the pay is good and it abides by my code, no job is too big or beneath me. So far you've fulfilled the former, now we'll see if you can fulfill the latter."

Boba interlocked his gloved hands as he conversed with his Corellian clients. In truth, this job was beneath him, but the bounties had been slow as of late and slow bounties meant slow cash flow. Idle hands could make one sloppy, and Boba was anything but sloppy. Years of bounty hunting across the known galaxy had forged him into the best in the business, there was no job he couldn't accomplish.

From assassinations to security details, the Mandalorian had put his name on the line time and time again. Growing ever richer and ever more reputable, this time, three Corellian archaeologists had questioned that reputation. Had the price they were offering not been so tempting, he might've shown them just how he had earned his title as the best bounty hunter.

From behind his T-shaped visor, Boba scanned each and every one of them and put their names against the known bounty databases. One could never be too careful of who he was dealing with, and Boba was always careful.

So far, not a single one of them had any known criminal record or price on their heads, a double-edged sword to say the least. He was always prepared to make more money, slowly he looked at each and every one of them as his menacing visor scanned left to right.

Finally stopping at the head archaeologist, Boba reviewed the contract.

"So, run the job by me again. Just so we're all singing from the same sheet of music, wouldn't want anyone to skip a beat now would we?"

The head archaeologist slowly gulped as he slid a small datapad over to Boba, his dirty hands trembling all the while.

"W-we at Czerka industries maintain the highest standard of archaeological discoveries and remain at the forefront of-"

Boba promptly cut him off, " _ **The job**_ , I don't care who you're with, I already know who Czerka is and I already know what they do. All I need to know is how much I'm being paid and what the job is."

The three men promptly started shaking for a few moments. Finally, the lead archaeologist had managed enough composure to answer.

"R-right then, a few days ago one of our scouting parties had come across some ruins in some canyons, near the dune sea. We're not sure where they originated from, but what's peculiar is the fact they don't match the designs of any known race's architecture. Even more strange is the fact that we have done scans in that particular area before. It's like as if the ruins appeared overnight and to make matters worse? Any probe droids we've sent into the ruins lose signal about halfway through."

Boba sat there listening inventively, he already knew what it was the moment the call had come to him. A babysitting job, he wasn't surprised. The ruins were in Tusken Raider territory, and wherever they went any number of the planet's predators couldn't be too far. Boba sighed beneath his helmet as he cut the archaeologist off mid-speech.

"Right then, a security job. You came to the right man for that, but if we come across any Krayt Dragons or worse? That's double the price your employers set forward, the munitions I have can take those down no problem. Replacing those munitions is a more...expensive matter."

As Boba set forth his negotiations, he reviewed the price they were offering via his helmet's database. 50,000 credits, not bad for a security job. Boba ran the numbers in his head as he began to further broker the deal.

"Right then, 25,000 upfront and the rest upon completion of the job...non-negotiable. The prices for any indigenous wildlife remain the same, double the final amount. Again non-negotiable...do we have a deal?"

The three archaeologists muttered amongst themselves, Boba already knew the outcome. If this job were that important, they'd be smart and accept the terms he had set forth. After a few more moments they finally nodded and the lead archaeologist extended his hand.

"It's a deal, Mr Fett."

Boba slowly stood up and adjusted himself, not breaking eye contact with the lead archaeologist all the while.

"Good then, I expect my funds wired to my account promptly. I'll need to head my ship to gather some supplies. Be ready by the skiff yards in two hours."

Meanwhile, the lead archaeologist had had his hand outstretched the whole time, getting the hint he promptly retracted it, but not before voicing one last concern.

"But Mr Fett, we haven't even told you our names."

Boba stopped and slowly looked over his shoulder, "I already did a check on you lot, you're clean. Besides, if you die out there, your names will be of no significance to me anyways."

With that, the bounty hunter slowly made his way to the entrance. Meanwhile, the crowd gave him a wide berth, calm or not, no one wanted to invoke his ire.

In truth, these men were not who they claimed to be. In a galaxy ruled by an ever overbearing Empire, to reveal their true nature was dangerous. These men belonged to an ancient order, one all but extinct. Their numbers once spanned the stars themselves, but after a terrible betrayal, they became a legend. With men such as Boba Fett, these times were even more trying.

These men were Jedi and much like Boba Fett they had a job all of their own. To slay the bounty hunter and loosen the burden of secrecy that they had to live with. As the three began to converse, one youngest of the three voiced his concerns as he turned to face the lead "archaeologist".

"Master Tyron do you think this will work?"

Tyron promptly put a hand up, easing the concerns of his Padawan. "I sense doubt in your voice Padawan Ulritch, but do not worry. The force is with us, skilled as Boba Fett might be, no bounty hunter can take on three Jedi. His greed will be his downfall and once we finish him, our fellows will no longer have to worry about the Empire's most vile hound."

The other Jedi sitting to the right of Tyron agreed as he voiced his opinion, "He's no different than anyone else, we will destroy him just like Master Windu did to his father."

Tyron turned to face his fellow Jedi, a look of concern on his face, "Do not underestimate him, Lars, his father may have been felled by Master Windu, but not before he killed many of our own. Do not let your emotions consume you."

Lars bowed his head, "I am sorry Master Tyron, it won't happen again."

Tyron merely smiled gave his old friend a pat on the shoulder, "It's alright, just be mindful. Our connection to the force requires a calm mind, just remember to manage yours."

Their worries at ease, the two Jedi watched as Tyron took out a small holopad. As it hummed to life, the blue grainy image of a large angular structure came into view. In truth even with their false jobs, the three Jedi still did not know what these ruins were. What they did know was that someone or something had conjured it, and with great power too.

* * *

Boba made his way out of the Cantina's entrance and into the searing heat of Mos Eiseley. Cradling his EE-3 blaster carbine, he made his way towards the starport. The dune sea was no short trip and there was no telling how long the archaeologists planned to stay out there. If they were going out into the wild, he would need to grab some supplies.

A good bounty hunter was always prepared for any eventuality, and being the best Boba was certainly no exception. Even with his suit and armour containing just about every weapon conceivable, there was no telling if he'd need to resupply out in the field. With the sands ever shifting under his boots, Boba made his way through Mos Eisley's packed and winding market streets.

Everywhere he went, his reputation followed and it showed on the faces of the various species that gave him a wide berth. Even the fiercest Trandoshans didn't dare cross his path, they hissed and regarded him with their reptilian eyes as he continued on his way. Finally seeing the large starport building, Boba began to quicken his pace.

Finally making his way into a large tunnel, he made his way through the building's winding tunnel paths. His destination was bay twenty-four, after a series of twists and turns he finally made his way to a solid duraplast door. Entering a four digit code on a adjacent panel, a confirmation signal chimed in and the door responded in kind and swiftly slid to the side with a hiss.

Stepping into a large circular bay, Boba took in the sight that lay before him. Laying in the centre like a sleeping giant in the heart of the circle was a Firespray-31-class patrol and attack craft. The Slave 1, it was more than just a good ship, it was the ship that spelt doom for whomever or whatever it was tasked to hunt. Boba regarded it with the honour and respect it was due, it had once belonged to his father and as such it was one of the few things Boba treasured above all else.

Stopping just at the lip of the shade the upwards bay walls provided, Boba cocked his head to the side as he regarded his ship. "Hello, gorgeous."

Making his way towards it and up its ramp, he approached a large rectangular entrance. Punching in another code the door slid open and Boba entered, promptly pressing a button on a nearby wall the door slid behind him and locked. He was home and more importantly, he was alone. Pressing a series of buttons on the back of his helmet, a pressurised seal hissed and he removed his helmet.

To any and all who had ever worked with Boba, the only face they knew the bounty hunter had been his T-shaped visor. None had ever gazed upon his real face and what few did indeed didn't live long to tell the tale. There had once been a time where he shared his face with his father, the two were indistinguishable by looks alone.

Unfortunately, that time had long since passed and with it the legend of his father's face and the army it had once been the face of. Taking in a deep breath, Boba made his way to the cargo hold. As he entered the cavernous room, auto lights began to blink on revealing row after row of storage crates. He smiled at the sight, so many options, so many ways to ruin someone or something's day.

Setting his carbine and helmet down on a nearby crate, he made his way over towards the crates and began taking lids off. A good bounty hunter was prepared for any situation, so Boba spared no expense in making sure he packed a little extra. Thermal detonators, sonic grenades, extra Tibanna gas cartridges, proximity mines, concussion grenades, and rations were just to name a few.

As his collection began to grow, he deposited all the supplies into a handy olive drab colored kit bag. After what felt like an eternity of packing, Boba finally took a seat on an unopened crate. He still had an hour left, but there was one more check to go over, himself.

Standing up, he promptly went over every piece of technology that adorned his suit. From his gauntlets to his spiked boots, just about every inch of Boba was covered with some sort of weapon or gadget. Most important of them all, however, was his Z-6 jetpack.

Bounty hunting was a dangerous business. A good hunter had to be prepared for a three-dimensional battle space with an enemy that could attack from any side at any time. Having a jetpack evened those odds, many an adversary had thought they had cornered Boba, only to find him soaring through the air and raining death from above shortly after.

Jetpacks were double edge swords, however, for all the advantages they brought they also had drawbacks. Fuel, vulnerability, and even mechanical mishaps were not uncommon. That been said, Boba always paid particular attention whenever he inspected his. His father's jetpack malfunction had been his undoing, it would not be Boba's as well.

Satisfied that everything was in working order he smiled, he was ready. Donning his helmet, he slung the kit bag and carried his blaster carbine at the ready position. He made his way out of the cargo hold and down through the ship's central corridor. Before he made his way to the hatch, he stopped by a small terminal.

Pressing a series of keys, the terminal's screen lit up and went to a messaging system. Scrolling down through a list of contacts Boba searched for his old friend, well as close to a friend as he could have. Finally stopping at the name he was looking for he opened up a recording transmission and began his message.

"Dengar, it's Fett. Got another job, not sure how long this will take but you know the routine. If I don't send another transmission in a few weeks I want you to take my ship to the prearranged coordinates. Attached to this message is the ship's passcode, it's set to a timer so don't get any funny ideas. Good hunting, Fett out."

Depressing the "send" key, Boba shutdown the terminal and made his way out of his ship. As the door locked behind him he took a few steps down the ship's ramp and out into the hangar bay. Before he went any further, he turned around and regarded his ship for one last time.

"I'll be back soon old girl."

Having said his goodbyes, he focused himself as he went to leave the hangar. It was time to go to work.

* * *

 _Three hours later.._

Boba stood at the front of the skiff as the endless expanse of the dune sea raced by. His cloak fluttered behind him in the sand-choked wind as he stood there, the only movement one could register was his helmet occasionally scanning for any signs of activity.

Meanwhile, Ulritch, Lars, and Tyron huddled by the controls as they looked at the nav computer with anticipation. To them, this was the find of a lifetime, to Boba this was just another job. Finally, the skiff banked hard left and made its way towards a large canyon, stopping just at the entrance its antigrav thrusters slowly whined to a halt.

In moments Boba made his way to the back of the skiff, picking up his kit bag he turned to face the archaeologists. As he did so, he tossed Tyron a small comm device. The scientist caught it with fumbling hands as Boba began to speak.

"Stay here, I'm going to scout ahead and make sure everything is clear when I give the all clear you'd best hurry up."

Before Tyron could even respond, Boba made his way to the front of the skiff. Bracing himself, his jetpack's thrusters ignited with a roar and he propelled himself through the air and atop a canyon wall.

All was quiet for a while until Boba's voice came through the comm device, "All clear for now, but my scanners are reading large life signs in the distance. Possibly just Banthas or Dewbacks, but I also saw some Tusken tracks. Make this quick, we don't want to be caught out here when the sun goes down."

Tyron merely nodded at Ulritch and Lars as they began to grab their rucksacks and various other survey tools. Making their way down a gangplank, they began to make the journey through the canyon. On either side, large rocky expanses jutted up into the sky, Tatooine's twin suns barely shining down past them. After a few minutes of checking their maps, the trio finally saw it. Their mouths were agape as they took in the sight, the holograms most certainly didn't do it justice.

Built into the side of one the canyon walls, a large angular tunnel like structure stood towering over the ground below. Two massive pillars on either side supported a triangular shaped roof as they formed an entryway into an ever stretching dark abyss. They regarded it for a moment until a roar came from above and with it Boba Fett.

Landing in front of the three with a crunch, Boba slowly stood up as a dust cloud kicked up from around him.

"Well gentlemen, whenever you're done gawking at it we can get started."

The two men looked at Tyron as he took a step forward, "Of course, but before we go any further. Mr Fett, do you think you could perhaps take a quick look inside? It certainly looks big enough for a Krayt Dragon to take residence in."

Boba only nodded, "Fair enough, stay here. I'll take a quick scan inside."

The three men nodded as Boba made his way towards the structure, as it began to tower overhead he paused for a moment and took in the sight before him. He had fought on many planets and chased quarry through all kinds of ancient hideouts and ruins, but even this had surprised him. Whoever had made this structure had fashioned it from stone and other older materials.

Boba knew what Jedi temples were, he had aided the Empire in clearing them out many a time before. This structure reminded him of those very same ruins, but there was no way the Jedi had made this. It seemed like more an entryway or a passage than a refuge, it was also too big to be of any use hiding in.

As Boba made his way to the mouth of the entrance, he stopped and activated his helmet's lowlight sensors. In truth that had done little good, so he did the next best thing. Dropping his kit bag and slinging his carbine, he unzipped the bag and searched its contents. Finding what he was looking for, he took out a Merr-Sonn Concussion grenade launcher.

Generally, it was designed for offensive operations, but with some time tuning and modifications, Boba had made it capable of firing a wide variety of munitions. Breaking it open, he reached into one of his hip mounted pouches and pulled out a small cylindrical object. Sliding it into the launcher, he snapped the action back and took aim. A satisfying clunk rang out as an illumination round went soaring into the dark abyss.

For a moment, it shone brightly and revealed an ever stretching dirt path with large concrete walls on either side. As it went further in, Boba came to the conclusion that this wasn't just some structure. It was definitely a tunnel of some sort, he was just about to turn around and let the others know it was safe when his helmet's sensors detected movement behind him.

The three men were making their way towards him and he hadn't even given them a signal yet. Slowly and calmly he reached into another pouch and pulled out another cylindrical object. This one wasn't mean for navigation, just as he had finished loading the grenade launcher he promptly spun around and shot a high explosive round at the three men.

A large dust cloud shot forth as dirt and debris rained down, against ordinary men this would have been enough. But Boba knew that only foolish normal men would try to ambush him.

He watched as they each evaded it and flipped through the air, taking off their robes all the while and revealing the outfits of the Jedi order. Boba quickly loaded a flash round as they landed. Boba yelled at them as he got into a battle stance.

"I should have known better! But then again you should have too, Jedi scum!"

The three men each reached for their hips and unclipped long cylindrical tubes. As they got into stances of their own, they each depressed a button on the tubes and a blue beam of light hissed forth from them. Lightsabers, the weapon of the Jedi and the bane of anyone who didn't know how to fight against them. Of course, Boba wasn't just anyone, however.

The lead Jedi took a step forward and pointed his saber at Boba with one hand, "I am Jedi Master Tyron, your reign of terror ends here Boba Fett. You will die just as your father did!"

Boba clenched his teeth, there were three things he hated the most in the galaxy. People who tried to trick him, Jedi, and people who slandered his father's name. To let his emotions run wild would spell doom for him, so he calmed himself for the battle ahead.

Quickly doing a scan on each one, he began to formulate a plan. Fighting Jedi was a tough business, but not impossible. One had to know their weaknesses and their limitations. In the case of Jedi, fear, distance, and mental manipulation were essential.

A bounty hunter had to be quick and ever present of his surroundings, against saber wielders, even doubly so. To get cornered or too close could spell death. Fortunately for Boba, his chest plate and neck gorget were made of Mandalorian Iron, one of the few materials capable of stopping saber strikes. His arms and legs not so much, that been said he would need distance.

As for fear, well he already had that to his advantage. Years of fighting Jedi had shown Boba vital signs between the Jedi's various ranks, most notably Padawans. They were dangerous but easy to manipulate or fool. Most were still young and just learning the powers of the force, and luckily for Boba? There just so happened to be one standing in front of him, one who reeked of intimidation. He would be the first to go.

Boba unslung his carbine and held it with one hand as he held the launcher with the other, "Well now that introductions are out of the way let's talk business. I'm heartbroken my previous contract has been nulled, but you lot just made me a happy man...soon to be very wealthy too."

Before the Jedi could respond Boba, let loose a flash grenade from the launcher. The three Jedi held their eyes in anguish as Boba's jetpack ignited and propelled him towards the Padawan. Slinging the launcher, he raised his right gauntlet and a thin fibercord shot forth and wrapped itself around the Padawan's struggling body.

With his arms bound and unable to wield his saber effectively, he was incapacitated for a short moment. All the time Boba needed to separate him from the others.

"Let's go for a little trip shall we?"

Boba gave his jetpack max throttle as he flew through the air, dragging the Padawan through the dirt and into the air as well. As the two rose up further, Boba retracted the cord and with it the Padawan towards him. Just as the Padawan got close, he was able to cut the cord and free his bindings. Using the force, he propelled himself through the air with his saber thrust upward. He cried out with all his fury as he got within distance of Boba.

"Die bounty hunter scum!"

He promptly thrust the saber into Boba's torso, for a moment he thought victory was his, he couldn't have been any more wrong.

The saber had bounced backwards having deflected off the armor, for a moment the Padawan's eyes went wide with horror. What could possibly repel a lightsaber? Before his question could be answered, he heard a chuckle and saw himself looking down the barrel of Boba's blaster.

"Never send a boy to do a man's job."

Meanwhile, Tyron and Lars watched in horror as Padawan Ulritch's face snapped back, a blaster round burning a hole in the center of his head and exiting out the back of it. Their anger rose as Boba grabbed the still working lightsaber and kicked the body back, sending it tumbling towards the earth. A dust cloud kicked up from the Padawan's motionless body as it hit the ground with a crunch, he was dead.

Boba turned the saber off and clipped it to his belt as he landed next to the Padawan's body. That little stunt had used up half his jetpack's fuel, he'd need to be more sparing with it against the other two. Raising his blaster carbine, he aimed it at the other two Jedi.

"That just net me 50,000 credits, you two are going to double that amount."

Tyron noticed Lars begin to shake with rage, he was losing his focus.

"Lars, concentrate! Do not let him egg you on! Trust in the force and steal yourself!"

Lars wasn't hearing it, Ulritch had shown so much promise, so much potential. Now some bounty hunter had killed him and taken his saber like some sort of sick trophy. He wouldn't stand for it.

"No Tyron he dies now!"

Tyron went to grab him, but it was too late. The Jedi had already made his mind up.

Lars twisted his face into one of fury as he propelled himself towards Boba, he was furious. That meant he'd get sloppy, exactly what Boba was hoping for. Boba let out two bursts of blaster fire as the Jedi began to get closer. He knew it wouldn't do anything as the Jedi would just deflect the shots, but he had to keep the pressure up. Never allowing a Jedi a moment to think or gain clarity was also the key to fighting them, a good bounty hunter had to be sure to break their focus as much as possible.

Boba watched as the Jedi deflected the shots and closed the gap, smiling all the while. "It'll take more than that to best me bounty hunter!"

Boba merely cocked his head to the side and raised his left gauntlet.

"You haven't seen anything yet."

The Jedi skid to a halt as his eyes went wide before he could fully stop he watched as a stream of fire came from Boba's gauntlet and towards him. Closing his eyes he put his left hand forward and the flames began to flicker and wash over a translucent barrier. Lars smiled as he yelled over the roar of the flamethrower.

"Well if that's what you intended to show me, I'm not impressed!"

What Lars didn't know was that Boba had been slowly getting closer and closer to the flamethrower running all the while. In his defense, the wall of flame had created a visual disturbance that he couldn't see through. Just as the fire looked as though it was about to stop, Boba propelled himself through the flames and into the barrier towards him.

As he got within distance of Lars, Boba reached out with his left hand and clamped down over Lar's right wrist. As he did so, he brought his left knee into Lar's stomach and fired a pair of darts from his kneepad's launcher. Not being convinced it would be enough, he brought his blaster carbine up with his right hand and shoved the barrel into Lar's mouth.

The last thing Jedi Knight Lars Omega had saw before his death was a menacing T-shaped visor pressing itself against his forehead. A quiet voice spoke out and seemed to cut through the noise of everything else going on.

"How about now?"

Boba held the trigger down as shot after shot burned through Lar's mouth and back out his neck. Boba then promptly headbutted the Jedi and let go of his wrist, allowing the body to hit the ground. With its master dead, the saber's beam slide back into its tube with a hiss. Boba slowly looked up and turned to face the final Jedi.

Jedi Master Tyron turned his saber off and looked at Boba with calm eyes. For a few moments, he just stood there, as he regarded the bodies of his two fellow Jedi. The rumors were true, he had seen them come to life with his own eyes.

This bounty hunter had somehow turned around and simply bested them, truly the Mandalorians were as fearsome as they were steadfast in their work. He slowly looked up at Boba, his face still remaining calm as he took a deep breath.

"Perhaps you are right, perhaps we were the foolish ones here. I submit bounty hunter, but know that I will free myself, and with the help of others, I will find you and your terror will be put to an end."

With that, Tyron dropped his saber and let his arms hang loosely. Boba merely smiled from under his helmet, "I'm at 100,000 credits now, that's twice as much as you lot were going to pay me. Jedi are worth double alive, but see that's the problem."

Boba slowly raised his blaster and aimed it at the Jedi's head, "Anyone smart enough knows you can't just take a Jedi in alive."

Before Boba could squeeze a shot off he felt himself began to be lifted off of the ground and propelled through the air and into the mouth of the ruins. Boba skidded across the dirt before finally coming to a stop. He already knew what had happened, this Jedi was strong enough in the force that he could pick people up and throw them to wherever he so chose.

As Boba got up he scanned around for signs of the Jedi, he didn't have to look for long. He watched as the Jedi sprint towards him at full speed, his saber was drawn and ready all the while. Before Boba could even aim, he felt the same power from before bind his arms to his sides. As the Jedi began to get closer, Boba quickly ran through a list of options. He couldn't move, but that didn't mean he couldn't use his weapons.

Issuing a series of commands, Boba felt his helmet's rangefinder slowly slide down over his visor. Feeding him tactical data, it acquired a lock onto the Jedi's shape growing ever closer. Once that was done, he issued on final command.

"Fire."

In moments, a missile shot forth from the top of his jetpack and soared through the air towards the Jedi. As this happened, Boba felt the pressure on him release its hold. Bringing his blaster up to take aim at the Jedi, he quickly figured out why.

The Jedi had reached his left hand out and had focused his mind on something else entirely, the missile. Suddenly the missile spun around mid-flight and began to make its way towards Boba. Boba promptly aimed at the missile and let off a burst of blaster bolts, his helmet's targeting computer ensuring every shot went exactly where it needed to go.

The good news was he hit it, the bad news was he had hit it in such a way that sent it spiraling up towards the cavern's ceiling. Detonating with a coarse crumble, the whole cavern began to shake. Boba didn't have to be well versed in architecture to know that he had to get out of there and fast. Quickly grabbing his kit bag off the ground, he began to run away from the sounds of the cavern's collapse.

Taking a look at him, he could just barely make out the Jedi standing outside the entrance before large chunks of the ceiling began to fall down and obscure his vision. Turning back forward, he continued to sprint as he felt the rubble falling behind him, growing closer and closer. Somehow his missile had caused some sort of chain reaction and the whole cavern was starting to fall in on itself.

Boba looked ahead, in truth he had no idea where he was going or for how long it would stretch on for. Doing a quick scan with his helmet, he could just barely make out some sort of light at the end of the tunnel. That would be all well and good, if it wasn't for the fact that the rubble falling in behind him was getting closer and closer.

He had one chance to make it out of this mess, thankfully it was sitting right on his back.

"Activate Jetpack!"

Boba propelled himself through the air and kept a close eye on his jetpack's fuel reserves. He didn't have a lot, and at that moment, he secretly regretted doing the flashy kill move on the Padawan. He tensed as he saw the light grow closer and closer. Finally, he gave the jetpack max throttle and yelled out as the rubble falling behind him grazed the underside of his boot.

Boba watched the darkness on either side of him turn into a lush forest as he soared through the air. His jetpack's thrusters sputtered and stopped as their fuel reserves finally drained. This left the bounty hunter merely flying through the air off of velocity alone. Unfortunately had been too busy being utterly confused at the change of scenery to notice he was about to hit a tree. With a sharp crack, he smacked against the tree's thick trunk and fell onto the ground beneath him.

Before his consciousness faded he looked up into the sky, all he could see was the tops of trees and a lush blue sky. Squinting closer, he swore he could make out something flying in the sky above. Boba thought to himself before passing out.

 _A...dragon?...Why am I?..._

With that, Boba passed out in the new world he had arrived in.


	2. New World, New Opportunities

**Boba Fett has always struck me as one of the more complex Star Wars characters, the novels about him in the EU only adding to this. For all the jobs he has taken, there's a sort of warriors nobility in his dealings. I've always compared him to characters such as Deathstroke or The Punisher.  
**

 **He's a man making a living and trying to survive in a ruthless and unforgiving galaxy. Living by his blaster and his code of honor he forges his own path all the while sticking to his Mandalorian heritage. As this story goes on, there will be times where the original cast learns more about the mysterious bounty hunter, and sees a side of him very few in his own universe have ever seen. After all he's in uncharted territory, that been said he's still the calculating killer we all know and love, but sometimes even the most steadfast of people have to make compromises.  
**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: New World, New Opportunities  
**

" _When you find yourself surrounded by those who don't know or care what you are. Comfort yourself with the knowledge that you are part of something far greater more powerful than they will ever have the privledge of knowing."  
_

Mandalore the Ultimate.

Boba Fett, the galaxy's most successful bounty hunter, knocked out by a tree. The thought of it was enough to make Boba's head spin, thankfully a quick scan of the surrounding area put his mind at ease. His reputation was secure, no one had witnessed his blunder. Slowly sitting upright, Boba looked around at his surroundings. After a few moments, he began to realize that his reputation was the least of his current concerns.

Boba was no stranger to the wonders of the galaxy, from Jedi's to beasts of all sizes, he had fought the best and on many a strange planet. Never in all his years had he ever stepped into a portal however, or at least what he believed to be a portal. For him to be fighting on Tatooine one minute, and then be in a forest the next? There simply wasn't any better explanation.

That been said, Boba looked back towards the tunnel he emerged from. Or rather where the tunnel was supposed to be, all that remained was empty air and endless forest. He clenched his fists, his only way to get back home had just given him the slip. Standing up, he dusted himself off and unslung his carbine and grabbed his kit bag off the ground. Thankfully the grenade launcher hadn't fallen too far either, picking it up and depositing it into the bag, he began to scan his surroundings.

 _No sense in sticking around, I need answers and fast._

Issuing a series of commands to his helmet, he tried to get a bearing on his whereabouts. After a few moments of waiting, the answers he was looking for were anything but satisfactory. His nav systems were utterly confused, in fact, they had no idea what planet this was, even if it was a planet. No starport signatures, no signals from any major hubs, not even access to the Holo-Net. Hell, even his helmet's date and time systems were on the fritz.

For all intents and purposes, Boba was on an undiscovered backwater. Ordinarily this wouldn't be so bad if he had _Slave-1_ or any form of transportation for that matter, but right now he was running blind. That needed to change immediately, reaching into his duffle bag he pulled out a small silver sphere.

Depressing a small button atop it, he watched as the ball clicked open and slowly began to hover above his palm, a singular red orb adorning its center.

When all else fails and nav systems are on the fritz? A good scout droid is more than enough to find one's bearing, thankfully Boba never went anywhere without one. He watched as the droid began to hover around, beeping as it began to look every which way. Boba readied his blaster as he looked up at the droid.

"Alright, find me some humanoid class life signs."

The droid's red eye regarded him for a few moments and beeped as it began to gain altitude, after a few moments of spinning in place, it finally stopped and began to glide away. Boba locked the droid's signal to his helmet and began to cautiously follow after it through the brush. Every so often he'd take up position behind a tree or next to a nearby bush. Aiming his blaster and scanning from left to right, he checked every angle and potential ambush spot. He still had no idea if there were any hostile flora or fauna. Even with his helmet's proximity sensors, there was no telling if something could spook the sensors and give a false reading, or none at all.

This went on for half an hour until finally the signal halted in place. Lowering his helmet's range finder Boba quickened his pace, making sure as not to make too much noise. As he got closer, he finally got eyes on the droid. Hovering a few meters off the ground, it looked off into the distance and glided between a few trees, trying its best not to be seen.

As Boba got closer to the droid, his non-firing hand reached out and the droid quickly flew into his palm. Depressing its top button and returning the droid to his bag, Boba placed both hands on his blaster and aimed out past the trees. He was greeted by a welcoming sight, the first signs of human habitation.

In a forest clearing, a young blue haired girl and an elderly man fussed with some luggage as they set it atop a carriage. Clad in strange robes they looked about as backwater as people with no access to technology could get. Their carriage certainly was ancient, as was the strange looking beast of burden that was about to pull it along.

Next to them a small rickety cottage stood tall and proud as they went to and from dropping off luggage and going back inside to retrieve more. Boba activated his helmet's zoom feature and tried to listen in on their conversation, what he heard next had quickly dampened his previous mood.

They began to babble and go back and forth in a language Boba had never heard before, he sighed as he thought to himself.

 _Great, backwater planet with a language that doesn't match up to any standard galactic tongue. Now I have to play charades._

Boba continued to watch as the older man began to laugh and blather on in their strange language, meanwhile, the girl looked anything but amused. In fact she looked absolutely devoid of any emotion, her blue eyes gave her a sort of permanent thousand-yard stare. Meanwhile, her robes had a sort of ancient scholarly feel about them. The green, blue, and white underlying robes formed a collage of color, a sense of purpose to her appearance. Something about that look, it reminded him of something.

Suddenly the scene's mood had drastically changed, the older man suddenly began to be pelted by strange sparks of some sort. He covered himself and tried to swat at them every which way as the barrage continued. The sparks didn't appear to be harmful, but Boba had seen all he needed to see. Tensing, he aimed his blaster with his right hand and slowly brought up his left gauntlet.

Murmuring a series of commands he watched his helmet feed data to his wrist mounted missile launcher. Only an order of select individuals could perform the feats he was seeing, the very same order that had killed his father. One he hated to the very last member.

 _ **Jedi**_.

Boba was just about to let loose a barrage of hatred at the two when he suddenly stayed his hand. Lowering his gauntlet and resuming his hold on his blaster, he began to think.

 _If they were Jedi, they would've already sensed my presence, sensed my killing intent. Whoever these people are must be some sort of offshoot order. Perhaps local shamans tampering with a power beyond their understanding?_

Boba took a moment and assessed the situation, Jedi or not he needed answers, he needed to find a larger settlement. With larger settlements came people in charge, and with people in charge came order. Right now Boba needed that more than anything else, a Mandalorian was never without purpose in his deeds. So with that Boba came to a decision, a decision that would change the balance of everything in that world and beyond forever. Lowering his blaster, Boba emerged from the trees and made his way over towards the two.

For a few moments they didn't notice him, finally the young girl looked off to her right and her blue eyes went wide. Not with fear, but with astonishment. She watched as a faceless warrior emerged from the trees. Clad in a grey suit of some sort and adorned with parts of battered armor and strange other contraptions, she regarded him with curious eyes.

Boba watched as the elderly man made his way out of the house, a word that caught his attention was "Lelei". The man had said it quite a few times before and said it again many more as he approached the girl.

 _Well then, her name must be Lelei. Now there's a healthy head start._

The elderly man approached the girl and talked to her for a few moments, it took him a while to notice that she had been staring off into the distance, but when he did, he mirrored her facial expression. Stopping just a few feet away from the two, Boba slung his blaster and reached into his kit bag. Sorting around through it, he found a nutrient bar and reached it out towards the girl. Pointing to himself, the bar, and the sky, Boba Fett made first contact.

"My name is Boba Fett...I come from the sky...friend."

The young girl cocked her head to the side in curiosity as she slowly disembarked from the carriage against the protests from the man. She made her way over to Boba and looked up into his T-shaped visor. Boba could feel her eyes pierce through his helmet and into his own like an overcharged blaster shot. She was young, practically a child.

For a moment she looked at him and back at the bar, finally she gently took it from his hands and unwrapped it. She eyed it with curious eyes and took a bite and chewed on it for a moment, Boba was never a fan of them, but this girl looked like she absolutely enjoyed it after a few mouthfuls. Gulping it down as quickly as she had unwrapped it, she returned to staring at him as she whispered.

"Boba Fett...friend?"

Boba nodded as he knelt down, in another galaxy, another universe, what he was doing was so outside the scope of his behavior. He was known as a ruthless killer, a hound who never gave an inch once he began his hunt, but behind the mask was a warrior of honor. He never killed the innocent, never took on jobs that went against his code, and never went against his Mandalorian heritage. His was a path he had been destined to take from the moment he was born, a path he could never turn away from. But here, in this moment, he wasn't a killer, he was a lost man who needed to find his way.

Realizing the strange warrior in front of her wasn't an immediate threat, the girl turned to face the older man and began to speak in their native tongue. When the two had finished, she turned to face Boba and pointed at herself.

"Lelei...friend."

Boba smiled beneath his helmet, now he was getting somewhere. Standing up, he offered his hand out in a handshake, no matter the world or species. A handshake was almost a universal term for cooperation and mutual understanding. Lelei looked at his hand for a moment then slowly she extended her own and held his. Boba was careful not to squeeze too hard as he shook her hand, the girl felt fragile to say the least, thinking to himself he began the next part of his plan.

 _Right now that we're on the same page here, let's see if we can't find some sort of settlement or city._

Before Boba could act out an explanation for a settlement, Lelei began to tug at his hand a look of concern in her eyes. She looked back at the older man and began saying Boba's name a few times along with some words in their language. Whatever the problem was it was big enough to scare both of them. Unbeknownst to them, Boba was in the business of problem solving, as long as the price and job were good, however.

"What is it? I'm not understanding you, do...not...understand."

Lelei let go of Boba's hand and began to act out some sort of scene, she put her hands together and made the motions of a large flying creature. Occasionally she would point down the forest road and back at the cart. Boba didn't need to be a linguist to know what she had meant, there was some sort of creature, and they had to leave lest it find them.

Boba stood proudly and unslung his blaster, pressing a series of buttons on his gauntlet, his various weapon systems began to hum to life as he slammed a fist against his chest plate.

Pointing to his blaster, Lelei, the old man, and finally himself he made a fearsome warriors stance, "Warrior...protect."

Boba only fought for money and self defense in both himself and his ideals, but if he was going to make any headway with the locals, he'd need to earn their trust. Of course, he'd ask for compensation later, well whatever they had of worth.

Lelei and the old man looked at Boba and smiled. Whoever this mysterious warrior was, he certainly seemed confident enough in his abilities to fight the beast that plagued their land. Lelei made her way back to the wagon and took her place next to the old man in a bench behind the reigns, she beckoned to Boba and pointed down the road as she pantomimed the image of a settlement.

Boba merely chuckled and nodded, "As you wish..."

Making his way towards the carriage, he placed his kit bag atop the heap of various items in the carriage's storage. Finding a spot where he could comfortably sit, he sat atop it and readied his blaster. For a few moments, he sat there and listened as Lelei tried to spur the beast of burden on, Boba merely shook his head as he began to understand the situation. They were bearing way too much weight, before he could turn around and say anything, he felt the carriage begin to slightly lift up off the ground as a blue tint began to cover it.

Lelei had muttered some words to her now brandished staff and the carriage had become weightless, allowing the beast to carry it effortlessly. Boba promptly turned back around and went back to watching the road behind them as they began their journey.

 _Definitely the force, definitely some sort of Jedi or shaman._

Boba shook his head, taking on jobs without immediate compensation, making friends with Jedi, it was all way outside of his M.O.

 _Forgive me, father._

And with that, the trio began their journey to whatever settlement lay ahead.

* * *

 _Sometime later..._

Boba watched as the trees and the dense forest began to be replaced with lush fields of green. Checking his surroundings, he began to take note of the land, for all but a moment he felt like he was on Naboo. He had frequently traveled to the peaceful planet a number of times, even a bounty hunter such as himself could appreciate the beauty of its geography. Well at least when he wasn't working.

Setting his scanners for max range, he continued to keep his guard up, even the most beautiful rose had its thorns after all. So far he had learned this one's thorns were made up of pseudo-Jedi and large flying beasts, he listened inventively as Lelei and what he assumed to be her master continued to chat. Occasionally her master would laugh and make wild noises, only to be slapped by Lelei.

 _For pseudo-Jedi, these two sure like to break the mold and live by their emotions._

Boba continued to watch as the ever expanding fields of green slowly passed them. Occasionally they'd cross a small stone bridge, over a low-lying river, or take a turn at a fork in the road. This went on for a while until finally he felt Lelei's small hand tap his jetpack.

"Boba...Coda."

Boba tensed slightly, she had almost tapped an emergency control switch. The same one that the smuggler Han Solo had hit, the same one that had knocked him into a Sarlaac. A mishap he would never forget.

 _Child, please do not touch the jet pack. The last thing we need is the carriage and you two going ablaze as I fly off into nowhere._

During the trip, Boba had taken the necessary precautions to ensure both his safety and the safety of his two newest clients. Making sure both his jet pack and gear were all functional and filled he was armed and ready for anything or anyone. So when he turned around, he was just about to chastise Lelei. That is until he saw what she was trying to get his attention about.

As they journeyed down the road, Boba began to see the image of a small village began to take shape. Like the cottage he had seen before, the buildings here were similarly designed. Simple wood and stone structures jutted up in small intervals, occasionally a small farm plot could be seen taking place in said intervals. Boba surmised that whatever this world was, agriculture had to be one of its chief forms of commerce.

As the trio got closer and closer to the village, Lelei halted the carriage and quickly disembarked against the protests of her master. Turning around Boba could see that various villagers ran to and fro between buildings. Whatever the problem was, they too were prepping to leave their homes. Boba was quick to see a bad situation as an opportunity.

 _Whatever this beast is, taking it down is going to win me major praise with the locals...a lot of money too._

Of course, there was still one other problem. Lelei had just ran off into the village, a lost client meant lost money, and Boba wasn't one for lost money. Disembarking the carriage he ran past the front of it and looked behind his shoulder at Lelei's master as he passed.

"Stay here old man!"

Making his way past the hustle and bustle of evacuating villagers, Boba continued down the street Lelei had taken. Along the way he had ignored the stunned looks on each of their faces, he had a job to do.

"Lelei! Lelei! _Utreekov_ , where did you go?!"

Making his way past some crowded carriages along the street, he heard Lelei cry out in terror and the sound of a beast whining in protest. Boba had to act and fast.

"Activate Jetpack!"

Boba ran and tensed as he felt himself lift up and soar through the air. In moments, his helmet's targeter got a lock on a scared beast about to trample Lelei. As his range finder slid down, he aimed through the scope for his blaster, this was a kill that demanded precision. Something he had in spades, letting off an accurate burst of blaster bolts, he hit the beast in the head, his blaster shrieking as it let loose a volley of death.

The beast's head snapped back with a series of scorching impacts as it topped back over, Boba promptly shifted his stance and landed between Lelei and the beast, a dust cloud kicking up around him. Checking to make sure the beast was dead, he sighed and turned around to look at Lelei. The young girl looked at her savior with wide eyes, she obviously hadn't expected the mysterious warrior to be capable of flight as well.

Before Boba could chastise her, Lelei wrapped her arms around his torso as she mimicked a phrase he had used earlier, "Boba...protect."

Boba stood there for a few moments as he felt her grip tighten, using his free hand he broke her grip and ran a hand through her hair. His T-shaped visor regarding her with concern.

"Next time don't go running off, you're no good to me dead got it?"

Suddenly another female's voice broke through the chaos and confusion, "Y-you can speak English?"

Searching for the source of the voice, Boba looked past Lelei and spotted a young woman crouched next to an obviously injured younger girl. Unlike the villagers, this woman was certainly not dressed like a civilian. If her slug thrower didn't convince him, the dark green camouflage pattern that adorned her helmet, armor, and uniform most certainly did.

 _ **Military**_ , finally the order he was looking for and even better, the kind that spoke Basic. Boba walked past Lelei as he cradled his blaster, "I'm not sure what English is, but I speak Basic just fine. What military are you with?"

The female stood up and ran a hand through her dark black hair as she regarded Boba with her blue eyes, "Basic? R-right, Sergeant First Class Kurokawa, JSDF. Who...or what are you?"

Boba stood there puzzled for a moment, JSDF? He had certainly never heard of any sort of organization with that name before, but, more importantly, it was time for his introduction. He was most certainly not a what, he stood there and hefted his blaster into the air with one hand.

"You look upon a _**who**_ , I am Boba Fett,bounty hunter, gun for hire, and the best at what I do. Who's in charge here?"

Before the woman could respond a man's voice came from further away, as Boba looked down the street he saw a similarly dressed male soldier leading a small team of his fellows. Unlike the woman, the soldier, and the others had their slug throwers raised. Big mistake.

"I am, Lieutenant Itami Youji of the JSDF, Recon Team Three. While I'm thankful for your intervention, you mind explaining to me why you're armed with...whatever the hell you're armed with?"

In seconds, Boba's helmet had already slaved each and every one of the soldiers to his weapon systems. At a moment's notice, he could be flying through the air and landing atop a pile of bodies, but right now he needed information and cooperation. Something a shootout wouldn't allow, cradling his blaster but keeping alert, Boba responded to the brazen leader's question.

"I'm armed because I am Lieutenant, a man can never be too safe after all. These weapons are but a taste of the game I bring to the playing table, should I need to fight. Whilst I applaud your caution, you'd best lower your weapons. I'm not an enemy unless you make me one, besides you and your men would be dead in moments if you even tried to take me down. So how's about we talk this out like civilized people?"

Itami's men were certainly intimidated, they had never seen a warrior dressed in such a way. His face and body concealed behind battered armor and unknown weapons, his voice broadcasted his killing capabilities through an external speaker. If that wasn't enough, they had most certainly never seen an armored man fly through the air, let alone use a weapon that certainly didn't fire solid projectiles.

Things were tense for a few moments, both sides seemed ready to fight. Just when Itami was about to talk, Lelei came between the two groups her arms outstretched.

"Boba Fett...friend...protect!"

Itami cocked his head to the side in puzzlement as he listened to the broken English being muttered by the girl, he slowly lowered his rifle and reached into one of his uniform's leg mounted cargo pockets. In seconds, he had produced a small red book and began to speak the language Lelei and her master had been speaking earlier.

For a while the two went back and forth, communicating all the while and occasionally saying Boba's name. Meanwhile, Boba came to a realization, Itami had a language book. Boba needed that book and fast.

"Itami, I'm not sure what you two are talking about, but if you could please toss me that book, things can go a lot smoother for everyone."

Itami looked at him with suspicious eyes until he finally tossed the book. Catching it deftly with one hand, Boba began to flip through the pages, scanning every word and translation within them. In moments he had downloaded the entire book and transcribed the language into his helmet's speaker. Quickly tossing the book back to an eagerly awaiting Itami, Boba looked at Lelei and gave the new found language his best shot.

"Lelei...can you understand me?"

Lelei promptly turned around and looked at him with wide eyes, a small smile forming on her lips as she spoke. As she did so, her words translated themselves on his visor's internal screen.

"Yes...yes I can Boba."

Meanwhile Itami watched with his mouth agape, "H-how did you do that?" Looking at Itami and back at Lelei, Boba scoffed as a smug smile began to form underneath his visor. "You don't become the best by only working for humans."

Before Itami could respond, Boba patted a now smiling Lelei's head as he spoke to the young girl. "Lelei, Tell the Lieutenant here how we met. Certainly wouldn't want the situation to be anymore confusing now would we?"

Lelei nodded as she turned to face Itami and the others, meanwhile, a large crowd of villagers gathered on either side of the street as they watched the scene unfold.

"Itami, Boba Fett is my friend. He came to my master and I at our cottage. He says that he comes from the sky, he has also stated that he can fight the flame dragon."

Boba listened intentively and thought to himself as she went on further.

 _So the beast is a "flame dragon" huh? Some sort of offshoot Krayt? Nothing a few well-placed blaster shots and some explosives can't handle. Of course, there's always the Disruptor and the Saber...if it goes **that** far.  
_

After Lelei was done talking, Boba looked at Itami and shrugged. "Well, good enough for you... _ **Lieutenant?**_ "

Itami stood there for a moment and finally motioned to his fellow soldiers to stand down, as he did so he sighed and took his helmet off. Revealing a matted mess of brown bushy hair.

"Well that's all well and good, but what exactly is a bounty hunter doing here? And can you actually fight this dragon if it shows up?"

Boba chuckled as he stood confidently, "Well, there's a story for that if you have some time. As for the dragon? There's nothing that walks, talks, or breathes that I can't kill...for the right price that it is..."

Itami rolled his eyes, "How's about we just start with how you got here?"

Boba chuckled and cradled his blaster, "Well it all started with a job, and it ended with some sort of...gate."

* * *

 **Mandalorian words used and their translations:  
**

 _Adiik_ -A child generally ranging between three to thirteen (Lelei's 15, but hey Boba doesn't know that yet)

 _Utreekov_ -Fool or idiot


	3. Catch of The Day

**HAPPY NEW YEARS, Here's to a new year of writing and who knows what else eh?**

 **Good lord! Maybe I did something right, because the follows and favorites for this story have shot up in a short span. In fact I reckon this story will soon catch up and possibly even surpass _Here We Go Again_.  
**

 **Throughout my day I've been busy trying to doctor up chapter 14 for my other story, but meanwhile my phone keeps blowing up with notifications about _this_ story. So like a moth to the flame, here I am to give you another chapter. **

**You guys are awesome and thank you for your support, remember If I do anything wrong or you have input don't hestitate to let me know. Boba and Star Wars are the core of my fandom, to misrepresent them would be criminal.**

 **Now for the fun part, OUTREACHES.**

 **To the guest that commented about my stance on the EU/Episode 7- Yeah I'm pretty pissed, good news is, both Lucas and Disney have both confirmed Boba's survival. We just need to see him appear on the big screen and Disney knows how popular he is. Now that they have the rights they'll milk the hell out of Fett. Also I gotta confess, I didn't think Episode 7 was the end all be all of Star Wars movies, but hey to each his own.** **As for Captain Phasma? She will _never_ be Fett, plain and simple, we original fans know this better than anyone else. It'd be like getting some new Spartan in Halo making him swagger the same as Master Chief, but changing up his armor color. It's not the chief just like Phasma isn't Boba.  
**

 **To Kaioo-You know something tells me she will, but Fett is certainly not so easily bent to the trickery of women. Especially apostle psychopaths, he's a Mandalorian foremost, and will always live according to the _Resol'nare_** ( **Six actions)**. **But only time will tell how they interact.**

 **To Coronadomontes-Short and simple, I like it. I aim to please man, and I'm glad you enjoy it so far.**

 ***Update*-There's something going on with the reviews and ALL of them aren't posting. Not sure what's going on but I'll give it a look. Do feel free to PM me as well until the problem fixes itself.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Catch Of The Day  
**

" _Always work harder than you feel capable. That way your enemies never know your limits._ "

Mandalorian Proverb.

"So let me see if I get this straight...all of you came from a different world as well? _Osik_ , and so the plot thickens."

Boba stood next to one of the JSDF's armored trucks as he conversed with Itami, meanwhile, several other members of Itami's team continued to assist the local villagers with the evacuation. Itami took a swig from his canteen and gulped it down for a few moments, when he was finished with it he raised an eyebrow at the bounty hunter and offered it to him. Boba shook his head, his helmet came with a built-in tube that connected to a hidden water reservoir near his jetpack.

"No need, I'm already taken care of. So this world of yours...does it differ much from this one?"

Itami clipped his canteen to his body armor and placed his helmet down on the hood of the armored vehicle, running a hand through his hair and he sighed.

"Well so far technologically...yes, and greatly too. In fact, it's that edge that has put us far above anything their armies are capable of. We haven't been here for very long you see, probably close to a month at best. We're still getting a layout of the land from our recon teams. Mine, in particular, had been tasked to scout this village out, but as you can see...with the emergence of the dragon now we're here to escort them to...well wherever it is they need to go."

 _You haven't seen any sort of "technology" yet._

Boba slowly turned his head as he regarded the scene developing in the village, villagers continued to pack whatever they could fit atop their carriages or inside tarp covered wagons. Meanwhile, he could see the other soldiers assist in any way they could, occasionally they'd look over and stare at him, only for their eyes to go wide when he stared right back. No matter where he went, Boba's presence was still given the respect it was due.

 _Had the Empire been carrying out this campaign, hearts and minds would definitely be an afterthought...strange way of doing things._

Slowly turning to face Itami, Boba slung his blaster. Meanwhile, he took a small swig from his drinking tube, it had been a while since he had drank last.

"You say they attacked your world? So this is a campaign of dominance, why do you assist them in such a way? Why not just go to the heart of their territory, tear off the head of the beast and be done with it? You point me in the right direction, and I'll get it done myself. Of course, we'll have to talk money first."

Itami sighed as he looked up at the sky, "Well where we come from, we believe in winning the hearts and minds of the people first. With their help, we can move a lot easier and get a feel for the workings of wherever we invade. That's not to say we won't fight hard if we have to, but without a people to support it, even the most fearsome of regimes will topple, besides we're not even sure where "the head of the beast is" or who even sent the attacks forth in the first place."

Boba shook his head, "You're starting to sound like some of the old Rebellion leaders who tried to hire me."

 _Not like they still don't try to._

Itami cocked his head to the side in curiosity, he had heard little next to nothing about the strange armored man in front of him, let alone even the world he came from.

"Boba, if you don't mind me asking. I've told you a lot about us, but what about you? I know you're from a different world, so how different is it from this one?"

Boba shook his head as he looked back down the village's main street.

" _ **World?**_...Youji I couldn't even begin to explain to you the kind of "world" I come from. It would be enough to make your mind explode in pain and question your very way of life. All you need to know is this, where I come from survival is everything. I know this better than anyone else, I was forced to forge my path long ago and I'll stick by it to the day I die. As for your campaign? In the end, it matters little to me, but here, I am at a loss. I have no way back home, the gate I came through was gone the moment I regained consciousness. You on the other hand seem to be doing a better job at finding your way around here."

Boba took a step closer as he folded his arms, "So I have a deal in mind, I'll assist in your "campaign", but only so long as it doesn't interfere with my code. This is a blanket contract when I say I'll assist in your campaign? That's any operation and with any and all resources I require from your end. Mine are vast, but not infinite. Also payment, I understand that credits won't be of any use here. So in return, I demand payment in material goods and any form of currency I can use both here and in your world should I need to accompany you. In return, you help me find a way back to my universe. When the campaign is done that is."

Before Itami could respond, Boba took another step closer, his visor inches away from Itami's face. "Oh and should a job go against my code or you fail to pay? Well...you really... _ **really**_ , don't want to find out what comes next."

For a moment Itami stood there speechless, in truth, the cold calculating voice emitting from Boba's speaker had chilled him to the core. His T-shaped visor seemed to pierce through him and regard him with pure unrelenting force. Yet at the same time, he could feel a sort of warrior's respect. Boba had laid out his terms very clearly, in return Itami was expected to respect that and vice versa.

Of course, the only problem was, Itami was in no position to be making any deals, especially if they involved money. That was a task best left to his superiors, but time was short and if this bounty hunter was as good as he claimed? He could be invaluable or at the very least a source of knowledge and technological discovery.

So in the end, Itami did what he thought was best. Extending his hand out and shaking Boba's he smiled nervously, "It's a deal, Fett."

Boba gripped Itami's gloved hand tightly, a contract had been forged and with that Boba intended to see it through to the end. Like his father before him, he too would honor his word and extend his services to the fullest of his abilities to his employer.

"Well then Lieutenant, what's the next job?"

Itami looked at the villagers and back at Boba. Composing himself he tried to sound as official as possible, "To ensure the safe travel of these villagers and my men. Your payment will be substantial and given to you in full upon our safe return to my base. Should the dragon arrive and you ward it off? Double the final amount."

Boba unslung his blaster and cradled it, "Now you're talking business Itami. Consider it...done."

And with that, the Bounty hunter ignited his jetpack and with a roar he flew atop one of the nearby buildings, no doubt to provide overwatch. Itami covered his eyes at the searing flash of light and dust cloud he had kicked up. When the dust cleared, one of Itami's subordinates, Sergeant Shino Kuribiyashi approached him.

The young female soldier's helmet covered her short brown hair as she looked at Boba, watching as he menacingly watched the proceedings from above. Ever the hard charger she was, she had a healthy respect and admiration for strong warriors.

"You know?...in a mysterious badass sort of way? He's kinda hot."

Itami sighed and rubbed his temple as he donned his helmet, "Shino I have a feeling that the only gun he uses is that strange rifle of his. Now make sure the trucks are prepped, I have to explain our new situation to command."

Opening his Humvee's armored door, Itami stepped inside and took one of the handheld radios from the center console. He sighed as he began to change a few frequencies. Command was not going to like this.

"Alnus Main, this is RCT3 Actual. I have an update on our current status." A few moments later, a woman's voice came through the speaker.

"Send it RCT3 Actual." Itami closed his eyes, now came the fun part.

"Be advised, we're going to have to extend our time out in the field. We're going to be escorting the villagers from Coda, ETA for our arrival is currently unknown."

A few moments of silence followed, during this time Itami swore he could hear some discussion going on in the background. Suddenly the woman's voice came back over the net.

"Alnus Main is tracking, do what you have to do. Recommend you try to be back before nightfall over."

Itami let out a breath of relief, so far so good. Now for the hard part.

"Uh...one last thing."

Itami heard further background discussion before the woman's voice returned, "Send it."

Itami closed his eyes and tightened his grip around the radio, "Well...we found someone. Or rather he found us, he's a bounty hunter."

Suddenly a man's voice came over the net, it was one of his superiors. "What do you mean a _**bounty hunter**_ found you? Is he hostile? Is he working for someone?"

Itami had to proceed with this situation very carefully, he knew what his superior's reaction was going to be. "Well so far he's not hostile, and right now...he's working for us."

Suddenly the voice yelled through the speaker, startling Itami and making him move back and away from the radio. "What do you mean he's _**working**_ for us!? Itami did you make some sort of deal!? You know we don't support business practices like that!"

Itami looked out the front window and watched as a group of children began to crowd around the hut that Boba was posted atop. The children raised their hands into the air and laughed as they tried to get a response out of the bounty hunter. For a few moments Boba stood there unmoving, suddenly his helmet slowly looked down at the group of children. Lowering his blaster, he put a gloved hand up and waved at them. Satisfied, the children cheered before returning to their respective parents.

Looking back at his handset, Itami sighed. "It's a long story, but I assure you command is going to want to meet this man. He's not from this world or ours for that matter. He came from a gate, not unlike the one we came through.

A few moments of background discussion could be heard over the radio before his superior responded, sighing as he did. "Fine...but this had better be good Youji, you've already given command a great deal of stress in regards to your protracted stay in the field. I'm at my wits end covering for you, bring back results Youji. Alnus Main out."

Itami sighed as he returned the handheld back to its cradle in the center console. He was in for a world of hurt when he got back, exiting the vehicle he slung his Type 64 rifle and made his way down Coda's main road. It was time to depart.

* * *

 _Sometime later..._

Once the order from Itami had been given, the trucks departed Coda and led the large convoy of carriages and wagons. They would be the first responders to any aggressors.

Meanwhile, Boba had decided to ride along with Itami, he wanted to be there when the action kicked off. Besides being near the one in charge made sure he was up to date on any events and information he needed to know. Before he had stepped inside, he noticed a small blonde woman bundled up in some sort of tarp. According to Itami, she was an elf, whatever that was.

It also turned out she was the sole survivor of a village the very same dragon every was afraid of had destroyed. In the end, Boba merely shrugged, tossed his kit bag next to the woman and took his place on one of the bench seats. Luckily for all parties involved, the rest of Itami's team had opted to ride in separate vehicles. They didn't trust this new masked warrior from another world. Fine by Boba, he liked the solitude.

So for what had seemed like an eternity, Boba sat in the back of the vehicle's troop compartment and enjoyed the quiet as he looked out a rear window. Suddenly a voice came from the front of the vehicle, it was one of Itami's subordinates, the same one who was also currently driving.

"So...Boba Fett was it? Are you some sort of...space man?"

Boba slowly turned his head and looked at the driving compartment's rear view mirror, he watched as Itami's subordinate glanced back at him with nervous eyes. His voice emanated from his helmet's speaker like an unfeeling slab of stone.

"Are you some sort of _**idiot**_? I am not a "space man", you would do well to watch your tongue before I do it for you."

Kurata had promptly gulped and tightened his grip on the steering wheel, meanwhile, Itami put on a nervous face and looked back at the masked bounty hunter.

"You'll have to excuse him Boba, in our world, people like you are a topic of many great movies and other sources of entertainment."

Boba had slowly slid up the bench until his helmet was practically peering inside the driver's compartment. "People like me? If you two knew what people like _**me**_ were really like, you would be anything but entertained."

Returning to his original spot at the rear of the bench, Boba sat there motionless as he went back to peering out the rear door's window. For a while things returned back to the same quiet they had been at before. The only sound emanating from under the vehicle as its large tires chewed up the terrain beneath it. When he had finally spoke again, both Itami and Kurata had nearly jumped from their seats.

"But I have traveled the stars, my line of work has demanded that and much more. Should you not irritate me next time, perhaps I'll share a tale or two."

Kurata's face had gone from one of fear to one of excitement. There was a real bonafide man from the future and he was sitting right behind him. Kurata's excitement had barely been contained in his voice.

"That's amazing! What's it like? Are there cute alien space girls like in my anime and manga?! You have to tell us sometime!"

Although Itami's face had one of embarrassment on it, deep inside he was very curious as well. Like Kurata, he was known as an "Otaku", an individual drawn to the fantasy comics and movies of his world.

Meanwhile, Boba merely shook his head as he continued to gaze out the window, "It's not amazing, it's dark, harsh, and unforgiving out there. It's not all fun and games in the "world" I come from. Especially not in my line of work."

 _Never in my line of work._

Kurata and Itami merely shrugged as they went back to enjoying the rest of the ride. Once again the same prevailing quiet from before returned, this time, its reign lasted a lot longer than before. In truth, it had become calming to Boba enough to the point he tried to rest his eyes for a moment. A moment short-lived as he was soon violently jerked awake by the vehicle's abrupt halt.

Quickly composing himself and readying his blaster, he yelled up to the front of the vehicle.

"Idiot! Watch how you drive or you'll find yourself walking from here on!"

Neither Itami nor Kurata responded, looking through a pair of binoculars, something ahead on the road had gotten their attention in full. Lowering his range finder, Boba made his way to the front of the vehicle and looked out through the front window. Giving his helmet max zoom, he looked down the road. The sight that awaited him had put him on full alert.

Below a huge flock of circling scavenger birds, a young girl sat in the center of the road. Dressed in a black and red tight fitting dress with a short skirt, she brandished a large halberd. Her long black hair went down to her lower back and she peered at the vehicle with purple eyes from behind her knees. Whoever this girl was, she was waiting for them.

 _Best not keep her waiting._

Meanwhile, Kurata did a double take and exclaimed as he peered through his binoculars a second time, "A goth loli!"

Boba didn't know what that was, nor did he care. His job was to protect this convoy and everyone in it, once he took a job he saw it through to the end. Right now this girl was armed, and that was more than enough to warrant extreme caution.

Before Itami and Kurata had stopped admiring the girl, they heard the vehicle's back doors open and slam shut. In moments, Boba had made his way around the side and to the front of the vehicle. Itami had tried to reach out to Boba but quickly retracted his hand when Boba sharply turned his head at him.

"Don't get in my way, something tells me there's more to this girl than meets the eye."

Itami and Kurata merely watched as the bounty hunter made his way down the road and towards the girl, his blaster at the ready all the while. Meanwhile, the girl had stood up. Dusting herself off, she rested her halberd over her shoulder and made her way towards Boba.

Boba made it halfway down the road and stopped, the girl was making her way towards him. Everything about her felt wrong to him, those colors, that look. It reminded him of an order he hadn't worked for in a while.

The Sith.

Raising his blaster, Boba set his helmet's speaker to max volume and called out to her. "This is no place for a child, what are you doing so far out here?"

The girl giggled and licked her lips as she smiled at Boba. Her eyes felt as though they were attempting to pierce his soul itself, unfortunately for her, Mandalorians are strong in both body and mind. She would find no cracks in Boba's armor.

"Mmm, a child you say? The only child here is _**you**_ , metal man."

 _Big mistake..._

Boba locked the girl in his helmet's targeting system, every weapon he could fire by voice commands now slaved to her. The next time she insulted him, Boba would make sure she wasn't smiling anymore. Before he could utter another word, she giggled again.

"My, my, I'm feeling such a large killing intent emanating from your body. So bold, so confident...I love that, what's your name warrior?"

Boba tightened his grip around his blaster, thumbing the safety off he took aim.

"Only because I have a reputation that demands that, as for my name? It won't matter here in a few moments if you continue to test my patience."

The girl took a few steps closer and planted her axe into the ground, "What will you do I wonder? I'm dying to know... _ **metal man**_."

 _That's it, enough of your games._

Just as Boba was about to make his first move, he heard the sounds of small feet approaching from behind him.

"Sky man! That's the oracle, she means well, don't fight her!"

In seconds a group of three children had ran past him and surrounded the girl, Boba lowered his blaster and powered down his weapon systems. For all his determination, he would never harm innocent people. Especially children.

He watched as they danced around her and outstretched their arms, "Oracle, the sky man came with the men in green! He's going to fight the flame dragon and keep us safe!"

 _Oracle, some sort of religious figure? Beware of false prophets young ones._

The girl looked at Boba and cocked her head to the side with a smile, "Sky man? Men in green? Is what they say true?"

Boba lowered his blaster and cradled it, "As much as I hate to divulge the specifics of a job, yes. I have offered myself in service to both them and the JSDF."

Rory looked around Boba and back at the trucks behind him, "Those are the men in green? The...Jay Ess Dee Eff?"

Boba merely nodded and stood there, in truth he was still on alert, but so far it seemed as though this "Oracle" had no ill intentions.

 _You're lucky the children arrived._

The girl promptly hefted her halberd and began to approach Boba, the children close in tow. Once she had come within a few feet of him, she stopped. For a moment, she stared deeply into his visor. At this range, Boba knew that he only had a small window of opportunity to defend himself if she tried something. There was only one weapon he had that could prevail at this range and not injure the children in the process. It was a weapon he'd only use as a last resort too.

Suddenly the girl planted her halberd and in a blur of speed she was upon him. Time seemed to slow down as he began to take a step back.

 _Too fast...way too fast. Got sloppy, won't happen again._

Before Boba could reach for his hip and grab the lightsaber, she firmly grabbed his helmet with both her hands. Then she did the unthinkable, bringing her face in close she slowly started from the bottom of his visor and drew her tongue up and over the top of it. When she was done, she drew her head back and licked her lips. Meanwhile, the children laughed and covered their eyes.

"Only a real warrior could make such a bold claim, the kind of real warrior that I'd _**love**_ to get to know more."

In seconds, Boba had dropped his blaster, grabbed the girl by the hips and began to pivot to his left. Releasing his grip he tossed her as hard as he could, he would need distance if he wanted to plan out his next move.

The girl promptly flipped through the air, her lithe body contorting every which way as she landed upright on the road. Meanwhile, Boba kickflipped his blaster up into his waiting hands and took aim.

 _Only someone with a lot of training could make a move like that._

For a moment, things were quiet until finally the girl dusted herself off and smiled.

"I do like it when they play rough, but come now must we quarrel in front of the children? There'll be plenty of time to _**play**_ later."

Boba tensed and took aim once more, "I _**play**_ to _**win**_ child."

Before the altercation could continue, Itami's voice rang out from next to the truck. "Boba stand down! She's not hostile!" The young officer stood there as he tried to defuse an ever degrading situation.

Boba lowered his blaster once again, this girl was constantly putting herself between him and non hostile targets. She knew what she was doing, and it was really starting to irritate him.

"You're too quick to trust Youji, take it from someone who knows best. Nothing good can from us taking her along."

Meanwhile, the girl had ran to Itami and wrapped her arms around his waist, she looked up at him with pleading eyes. "Please don't let the sky man hurt me, I was only curious!"

Itami put on a nervous smile and tried to break her grip, meanwhile, Kurata began to protest inside the truck, his disdain was only for the fact that it wasn't him being given the treatment.

Itami finally broke her grip and held her shoulders, meanwhile, he gave a nervous smile to Boba. "Look, she's harmless! The villagers seem to be comfortable around her, so maybe we should give her the benefit of the doubt?"

Rory glanced over her shoulder at Boba, with a sly smile she winked at him. Boba shook his head and lowered his blaster, as he began to approach the pair he glared at her.

"Fine then, but when this "girl" turns around and you find yourself dead. Don't say I didn't warn you, a dead client is a useless client."

With that, Boba made his way back into the vehicle's rear compartment and took his seat. In response to this, Rory jumped for joy, retrieving her weapon she returned back to the truck and hopped inside the back. Shaking his head Itami returned to the truck's passenger seat and with that the convoy was once again on its way.

* * *

"Why do you wear that helmet all the time? Is there something wrong with your face? I do wish to see it so!"

"This is helmet is more than just a piece of gear, and it's the only face anyone needs to concern themselves with."

"You're no fun Boba."

"There's nothing _**fun**_ about me."

"Well my name is Rory Mercury, I'm the apostle of the god Emroy."

"And I don't care. Gods are but make believe fairy tales used to fool the superstitious. I've got a few contracts that prove that."

Itami listened and rubbed his face in irritation as he listened to the back and forth chatter going about inside the truck. To say the ride was annoying was an understatement. From the moment, she had entered the vehicle, to the time they had made it an hour into their drive. Rory had done nothing but irritate the bounty hunter. Itami wondered how much longer it would be before he did something drastic.

Meanwhile, Kurata had listened in quietly if there was anyone in the vehicle who feared Boba the most. It was him.

After a few more hours of back and forth chatter, the convoy finally made its way into a vast canyon. According to the map, they were at Roche Hill, they were also further than any other recon team had gone before. For as far as the eye could see there was nothing but endless rock and dirt. The truck's suspension creaked and groaned as it began to take the worst of the off roading.

As Itami looked at his side view mirror, he began to hear the sound of a zipper being pulled back. Looking back into in the vehicle's rear compartment, Itami watched as Boba opened his kit bag and began to put various devices in small pouches on his armor. Meanwhile, Rory watched with wide eyes and a smile as she observed the bounty hunter.

Suddenly Boba took out a short compact rifle, pressing a button on it, it unfolded and formed a full-length rifle. A small scope revealed itself from a hidden compartment atop as Boba began to press a series of other buttons. Boba didn't have to look at Itami to notice he was staring, not taking his eyes off his newest "toy" he began to talk.

"Tenloss DXR-6 Disruptor Rifle, nasty weapon. I reckon your "dragon" won't be ready for something like this."

Itami cocked his head in curiosity as he tried to say the name, "DX-R what?"

Boba shook his head and continued to adjust his gear, "You'll see."

 _Any minute now._

Itami went back to looking out the front window when suddenly Boba began to speak again.

"This dragon, what's it look like?"

Itami took a swig of his canteen, as he finished his gulp he began to describe the beast.

"Well we didn't get too good a look at it, but it's large..."

"Red?"

"Yes and it has an."

"Enormous wingspan?"

"Uh yes...and."

"Large horns atop its head?"

"Y-yes how do you know this?"

Boba promptly kicked the back door open and aimed his rifle out the back, "Because it's coming right at us."

A sound not unlike a science fiction machine could be heard powering up, then Boba then fired the rifle. As he did so, a large electric discharge was heard as a green flash filled the truck's compartment.

Itami stuck his head out his window and looked back at the convoy, sure enough, he saw it. An enormous red dragon had flown into the canyon. It's wing span was vast, large black horns adorned its head as it eyed the convoy with evil yellow eyes. Its body adorned in thick red scales.

Suddenly Itami heard Rory giggle, looking back into the troop compartment he saw why. Boba had begun to get into a pounce like position, his original weapon slung as he readied his strange weapon a second time.

"B-Boba what are you doing?!"

Boba merely turned his head around and lowered a strange black antenna over his visor. "Going to work, tell your men to pull around and draw its attention...I'll do the rest."

Meanwhile, Kurata looked through his rear view mirror at the scene, "Y-you're insane!"

Boba looked at the dragon and aimed his rifle, "No, I'm the best."

With that he jumped out and skidded along the ground, planting his boots firmly into the dirt. He slid for a few meters, let off another shot, and then promptly ignited his jetpack, flying towards the dragon.

Meanwhile, Rory giggled and blushed, "I must have him..."

* * *

The villagers cried out in terror as they tried to flee the beast, but it was all to no avail. Wagons and carriages were consumed in a fiery inferno wherever the dragon passed. Those were the lucky ones, anyone who had survived the initial onslaught found themselves lifted off the ground in its sword like maw.

Where were the men in green? Had they gone too far ahead?

Suddenly just as the dragon made another pass, it cried out in pain. A small green shimmer could be seen growing across its belly, tearing a huge hole open and revealing a small glimpse at the beast's inner workings. A large howl of agony filled the canyon as the dragon crashed into the ground, a large dust cloud kicking up as its wings flapped furiously. Meanwhile, the villagers watched in confusion, what could possibly hurt a flame dragon? A beast so rare it was thought to be a god itself.

Suddenly a child's voice cried out, "Look! It's the Sky Man! The Sky Man has come to our aid!"

Sure enough, the villagers saw him. Across the sky he flew, fire coming from his back as he sent magic at the downed beast.

Meanwhile, the dragon had risen, only to cry out in pain once more as two more wounds much like the first appeared on its chest. it let out a roar of challenge as it gathered its strength and stood tall, towering over the sky man.

The battle that followed would be passed down from generation to generation for years.

* * *

Boba landed on the ground and skid to a halt, giving his jetpack time to cool down. Meanwhile, he slung the disruptor, this particular magazine was only big enough for four shots. Those four shots would have been more than enough for any beast back in his universe, but apparently this dragon was made of much tougher stuff.

Unfortunately for the dragon, Boba still had plenty of tricks up his sleeve. Boba allowed the rifle to retract back into itself and promptly slung it. Unslinging his blaster, he stared up at the beast.

"You're going to make me rich!"

The dragon let loose a challenging roar and stomped its large feet. Meanwhile, Boba thumped his fist on his chest and let out a challenge of his own.

" _Oya!_ "

Then the battle began in earnest. Letting loose a mighty roar, the dragon began to charge forward on all fours. Boba promptly reached into one his chest pouches and pulled out two small orbs. Activating his jetpack he flew back as he dropped them on the ground, they were timed proximity grenades. Modified to produce an extra powerful blast.

"Let's see what you think of these!"

As Boba took off further into the air, he watched as the dragon made it to his original spot. Just as it opened its mouth to let loose a fiery discharge, two large explosions rocked it off it's feet. It tripped and fell forward, its momentum sliding it across the dirt.

As it lay there for a moment Boba came down upon it, his jetpack guiding him to land atop its head.

"No time for resting, we're just getting started!"

Landing atop he began to open up with his blaster, pouring bolt after bolt into its large bony crest. That had been a small victory however, as he quickly learned that standard shots weren't going to pierce its hide.

 _Looks like you get the best then._

Boba had started to reach into one of his pouches when suddenly a large clawed hand coiled itself around him. Boba grunted in irritation as he felt himself get lifted into the air, meanwhile, the dragon began to stand tall and eyed him with hate filled eyes. For a moment, it seemed as though the battle was lost as the bounty hunter was brought to its open maw.

Then again, he always had another backup.

Quickly issuing voice commands to his helmet, he slaved targeting data to his jetpack's missile. In moments, a plume of thick gray smoke covered the bounty hunter as the missile flew towards its intended target, the beast's throat. Impacting the back wall of its esophagus, the beast coughed and sputtered in pain as it threw the bounty hunter to the ground.

Boba promptly twisted in the air and threw a flash grenade at the beast's face. Covering its eyes in pain the dragon staggered back, coughing and sputtering all the while.

"Wouldn't be the first time beast!"

Igniting his jetpack and engaging maximum thrust, he gained distance from the beast. Or rather what he thought was distance, a quick glance over his shoulder revealed that the dragon was gone. For a moment, Boba was confused.

 _Where did it?...Ah_

Suddenly a dark shadow was cast over top of him, he didn't have to use his helmet's sensors to figure out what was going on. The dragon had taken off and had flown over him to cut off his escape.

 _This won't feel pleasant._

Then it promptly landed in front of Boba, kicking up a massive shockwave of dust that threw the bounty hunter back quite a ways. Boba's jetpack promptly shut off as he spun through the air. He went like this for a few seconds until he finally hit the ground, hard. Tumbling across the ground, he slid for a few meters until he finally came to a stop.

Had it not been for his armor and willpower, this would have been the end. Boba lay flat on the ground, a quick assessment had yielded bad news. His blaster and disruptor rifle had unslung themselves and had flown quite a ways behind him. This wouldn't have been too much of an issue if it weren't for the fact that the beast was rapidly gaining distance.

Boba slowly stood up and raised his gauntlet at the charging beast. After a series of commands, his wrist mounted rocket zipped off and slammed right into the beast's forehead.

"Catch!"

Its momentum thrown off, the dragon rocketed back in pain as it felt the solid bone from its skull exposed.

 _Now's my chance._

Using this opportunity, Boba took off into a dead sprint towards his fallen weapons. Meanwhile, the beast let loose a roar of fury, by now its honor had been sorely slandered by one man. It wanted to make him suffer the worst death possible.

Sliding across the ground, Boba promptly grabbed both his weapons and flew to the side just as the beast dove towards him. Gaining altitude and flying through the air, Boba readied his blaster and began to gain distance.

 _Where the hell are those cowardly troopers?!_

As Boba flew backwards, he let off bolt after bolt into the pursuing dragon's opened weak spots. Though this had hurt it further, it did little to actually slow it down. Reaching into another one of his pouches he threw primed and threw a thermal detonator back at the beast, snapping its head back at the concussive force.

He needed to resupply and fast. To make matters worse, all the constant flying had been rapidly draining his fuel reserves. He needed to land, taking off towards the ground he finally saw the relief he needed. Three camouflaged trucks began to barrel towards him, as they got closer the largest of the threes' turret gunner began to let heavy solid rounds off at the dragon's eyes.

This had stunned it just long enough for Boba to further gain distance. Singling out Itami's truck, Boba dove towards it in hopes that Kurata would be wise enough to apply the brakes. Sure enough, he did and Boba promptly landed atop the vehicle, not wasting any time he promptly slammed on the top of the vehicle ordering Kurata to take off.

As the vehicle began to take off to join the others in the fight, Boba yelled down at a now firing Itami.

"Projectiles won't do the trick unless you aim for the eyes! You're going to need explosives, pass me my bag and I can end this!"

Itami merely yelled up at Boba, continuing to fire all the while.

"We know! The elf woke up and told me! One of my men is readying the Panzerfaust now!"

 _Oh so now we stake our claim in people just waking up from comas?_

Boba shook his head, "No you fool, give me my gear and I can end this now!"

Sure enough, Boba saw a plume of smoke open up atop the larger vehicle's turret. Its gunner hefting a large rocket launcher of some sort, Boba already knew from the moment the vehicle had bucked into the air that the shot was going to be way off. Boba yelled at the other vehicle's gunner as he raised his fist in anger.

"Amateur!"

Boba watched as the rocket continued to fly off course, suddenly he heard a familiar giggle over the roar of the engine. Turning around, he watched as Rory flipped atop the truck alongside him. Throwing her massive halberd, it spun through the air and landed with a massive impact at the dragon's feet. The earth suddenly shifted and dropped the dragon deep into a crater, this had allowed the wayward rocket to score the desired hit.

Slamming into the dragon's left shoulder the rocket had completely sheared its arm completely off. The dragon roared once in pain and finally took off, departing into the sky. As the truck slowly came to a stop, Boba watched as the dragon flew off into the horizon. Though he was angered by the outcome, it had also been a good fight. Once again his reputation emerged unscathed.

Had _Slave-1_ been available to him, Boba would have continued the chase and had destroyed the beast in the skies. For now, he had to work with what he had, though.

Raising his free hand, Boba pointed at the dragon's ever shrinking form. "Until next time _hut'uun_. Next time I'll finish what I started."

Boba's moment of clarity was brief, however, as a pair of arms wrapped themselves around his neck.

"I was right in my assumptions about you, then again I'm never wrong about good warriors. You have caught Emroy's attention Boba, and that means you have caught mine...forever."

Boba promptly broke her grip, not turning to face her he began to clamber down the side of the truck.

"The only things I serve is myself, a client if I'm hired, and _Mand'alor_ should the time arise. Your "god"'s attention doesn't pay my bills."

Rory giggled and folded her arms, "I love it when they play hard to get."

Meanwhile, Boba approached Itami's door and leaned against the side of it. As he did so, Itami took his helmet off and looked at the bounty hunter with a nervous smile.

"Well...that was, wow."

Boba scoffed and cradled his blaster, his Disruptor rifle hung loosely at his side. "Now you see why they call me the best, but that beast is still alive. Half dead doesn't cut it. In time I will find that creature and finish this fight. I always make my mark Itami. _**Always**_."

Boba proceeded to make his way towards the dragon's fallen arm, as he did so he heard Itami call out to him.

"Where are you going?!"

Boba stopped in his tracks and turned his head around, "To collect some trophies." and with that, he made his way off into the distance.

Unbeknownst to him, Itami's radio net had lit up. He had been the topic of discussion the entire fight.

"Did you see that?! He took that dragon on by himself!"

"H-He's a one man army."

"He's fucking awesome that's all I need to know. Goddamn, I'm glad he's on our side!"

Suddenly a chorus of chants began to grow near the caravans, it started faintly, at first, then it grew into a loud roar. Despite their losses, the villagers had begun to cheer.

"Praise be to the Sky Man! The dragon fighter! The man of the iron will!"

As Boba began to shed some of the scales off of the dragon's arm, he chuckled as he attached them to his cloak.

"Just doing my job."

* * *

 **Mandalorian Words and Their Translations:**

 _Osik_ -Basically saying "shit".

 _Oya-_ Mean meanings, but usually can mean "Lets hunt". Always positive and triumphant

 _Hut'uun-_ Coward, very derogatory.

 _Mand'alor_ -Mandalore, the leader of the Mandalorians at a given time. Sole ruler

 **If I at ANY point mess a Mandlorian word up or misuse a piece of technology used by Boba. LET ME KNOW ASAP.**

 **That been said, Boba is Boba. There'll be scenes where all he does is kick ass and there'll be scenes where the playing field is even, much like this one. I don't want him to be ultimate Gary Sue, but at the same time we're talking about a guy who once fought Darth Vader in the EU. The same guy who also tracked Mace Windu down and put up a _very_ good fight. As such he still has _a lot_ of staying power.**


	4. And You Are?

**Some people have asked what timeline this takes place in, it's post ROTJ many years after in fact.  
**

 **In the EU, the war against the Empire lasted a lot longer than what the original movies show us. In the end I had to take what I could from the ever back and forth continuity (of course all the EU is a non factor now) and make a sort of slapdash alternate universe. Hence the Sarlaac and Empire being mentioned.**

 **In regards to his kit bag, It's not going to be hammer space. I deliberately left what he packed to be vague to give me a little bit of wiggle room. We have to remember, this is a man prepared for any job and any situation. As such he always as something for those situations. To the guest who asked about his father's WESTARs you'll see why.**

 **I gotta say popularity for this story has definitely sky rocketed in a short time, it tells me I'm portraying one of my favorite science fiction characters of all time the right way. So here's a strong THANK YOU to everyone following this, you guys are awesome.  
**

 **Remember do _not_ hesitate to tell me if I misrepresented anything or if there's something I need to improve on. This story is for you, the fans. As such I owe it to _you_ to make it as best as I can.**

 ***Update*-To the guest " Careful Timing", reviews like yours are what REALLY helps, especially with the Lelei scene...sigh. Thanks for the heads up on that.  
**

 **As a sort of last minute loose end to tie up, I went back to chapter one and added an extra cameo in Boba's ship. This way we know _Slave-1_ is in good hands. The duffle bag is now known as a kit bag, so I went back and changed that up as well, shoutout to the other guest for that heads up and the amazing links he gave me. "You da real MVP."  
**

 **I also went ahead and touched up Boba's arrival to his room and added a small scene with the lightsaber he got off the Padawan he killed. It's there, it's his, and it's going to play a very big role in shaping his reputation later on to both the JSDF and the Special Region's inhabitants.  
**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: And You Are?...  
**

" _Everyone has a struggle in life. The key is turning that struggle into your weapon._ "

Boba Fett

For all the excitement the fight against the dragon had brought, the aftermath was nothing short of anticlimactic. Of course a breather in between fights was always a welcome addition, something Boba was cherishing as the afternoon sun began to set. As it disappeared over the horizon a purple glow began to settle over the land, cast from strange orbs beginning to float through the air.

 _There's something you don't see every day_.

Sitting in the back of Itami's truck, Boba cleaned and went over each piece of his gear in detail, only pausing to watch as the villagers went between burying their dead and conversing with Itami's men.

 _Revenge is a powerful thing, soon their sorrows will be replaced with a demand for vengeance to be brought against that beast. Take it from one who knows best_.

Boba wasn't the only one doing some watching. Throughout the evening, the "elf" that Itami's team had saved earlier had been staring at him the entire time. Cautiously looking away only when he'd stop and look up, in truth Boba was well aware what she was doing. He just didn't have anything to say to her at the present.

It wasn't until he had finally swapped a cartridge for his blaster that he had stopped and looked over his shoulder, "That beast got lucky, but I made certain it remembered my face. In time it'll meet its end, I've never met a mark that could run for long."

 _Except for you Solo, but then again even your luck ran out on Bespin_.

The girl had almost jumped at his statement, for a few moments she remained silent until she finally responded. Her voice reminded Boba much of Lelei's, quiet and devoid of emotion.

"I...thank you, but do you think it will return?"

Boba promptly stood up and cradled his blaster, adjusting his new dragon scale cape behind him he took a few steps forward before turning around to face the young girl. His visor regarded her with the same cold gaze it gave everyone. Meanwhile, the girl's blue eyes looked at him with shock and awe.

 _Fear me if you must, but I'm not the enemy_.

"More likely than not, but not against us. Its pride is wounded right now, it'll take its anger out on weaker foes like the coward it is. But if it does return or I get the contract to hunt it down? I'll finish what I started."

With that Boba merely nodded at her and made his way over towards the others leaving the girl to sit there bundled up and without a name to even address him by.

Boba made his way towards Itami and an elderly soldier, his boots kicking up sand and dirt all the while. Everywhere he went he was regarded with wide eyes and small nods of appreciation.

 _Just doing my job_.

As he made his way towards the two, upon noticing Boba the elderly soldier stopped talking and regarded him with a stern face. Boba could tell this was a man who had been made wise over his countless years of service.

 _Reminds me of Skirata, old dog..._

"That was quite the display bounty hunter. In all my years I don't think I've seen even special forces pull off a feat such as that."

 _Respectful too. Ok old man, you got my attention_.

Boba merely cocked his head to the side, his blaster hanging loosely in his arms, "Comes with the territory, call me a philosopher, but I don't think your special forces have fought even a fraction of what I have."

The elderly soldier merely chuckled and extended his hand, "Well from one soldier to another, I thank you for the assistance. I am Sergeant Major Kuwahara, second in command for Recon Team Three. And you are?..."

Boba regarded his hand for a moment before extending his own and clasping it with a firm grip. "Boba Fett and no need to thank me. Just doing the job I'm being paid to do."

Kuwahara chuckled and promptly retracted his hand, "Aren't we all? Perhaps someone who fights for money still has a sense of honor?"

 _More than you know old man...more than you know._

Boba merely nodded in response and turned his attention towards Itami, "Well then Youji, what's next?" Itami regarded Boba with a grim expression before turning his gaze towards the villagers huddling around some makeshift tombstones.

"We wait and see what the villagers decide to do. To be frank, this is as far as we can accompany them."

Boba merely nodded and held his blaster in his arms, "Well I take it, for now, they've decided to pay their respects to the dead. So if you don't mind."

Then in a move that surprised anyone watching him, Boba began to make his way over towards the newly formed funeral circle. Meanwhile, the rest of RCT3 looked at each other and nodded in agreement. If this bounty hunter from another world could pay his respects, then so could they.

As Boba made his way towards the crowd, a small opening began to form allowing him to make his way through the heart of it. No one said anything as he made his way through, to them this man had singlehandedly took on a flame dragon and endured the worst it had to throw at him.

As he approached the front, he slung his blaster and bowed his head. Meanwhile, the rest of RCT3 huddled around the sides and mirrored him, all was quiet for a while as the honoring of the dead commenced.

At one point a small boy approached Boba's side and tugged at his trouser leg, a few members of RCT3 watched with raised eyebrows. What would his next move be? Once again the bounty hunter surprised them all and did something they hadn't expected.

Not moving his gaze from the tombstones ahead, he slowly lowered a hand and ran it through the boy's messy brown hair. For a moment he paused, if anyone knew the pain the boy was experiencing, it was him.

 _No child should ever have to grow up in a world without his father. Where will your sorrows take you I wonder? Will you wallow in them? Or will you use them as your purpose in life?_

Boba promptly shook off the feeling of loss that had begun to creep up on him. Although his father died long ago, he highly doubted he would've strayed too far from the path he was on now.

 _Maybe I wouldn't be so cold, but then again this job isn't always pretty._

Dismissing any further negative thoughts, Boba nodded at the boy and made his way out of the crowd. He didn't make it far before Kurokawa called out to him.

"Well, It seems the cold calculating bounty hunter has a soft side after all." Boba promptly stopped in his tracks and turned around to face her, his blaster slung and close by his side.

"Sergeant Kurokawa was it? How I conduct myself matters to me, my client, and my quarry."

Before she could respond he took a few steps closer, his visor seemed to be piercing her very mind.

"Do not mistake my understanding of loss for weakness, that boy may be full of sorrow now, but in time, he may very well channel that into rage and purpose. Take it from someone who knows best. These people were under my charge, I was paid to ensure their safety. Not all of them made it back, I owe it to them to show a little respect for my own shortcomings."

Kurokawa stood there for a while, letting his words sink in before she responded. "Someone who knows best? Did you once lose someone close to you, Mr. Fett?"

Boba merely nodded his head quietly before he responded, "A long time ago, but I'm not being paid to give my autobiography."

 _I don't need your sympathy._

For a moment the pair just stood there each taking in the scene and what the other had said. Soon Itami approached the two with a solemn face, "Well it seems this is where we part ways with them, it looks like they're going to find local villages or settlements to stay at. The village leader has thanked us for our assistance."

Boba merely stood there, meanwhile, Kurokawa nodded and looked past Itami at the now departing caravans.

"Oh and Boba, he also wanted me to let the "Sky Man" know that his people thank you for your valor. They hope your travels lead you back to wherever you came from."

Boba merely nodded as his helmet slowly turning to watch the caravans leave. "When the job is done and I get my pay, I'll be sure to take his regards to heart."

As Itami smiled nervously Kurokawa approached him and pointed to the back of one of the trucks, "So what we do now?"

Boba and Itami looked over at what she had been pointing at, a small group of villagers sat at the rear of the truck. With wide eyes, they looked at their saviors for answers as to what awaited them in their future.

Itami merely sighed and put his hands on his hips as he walked up to them. With a smile, he put two fingers in the air "Right then, you leave it to us!"

At this response the villagers smiled, most notably being Rory as she giggled in the center of them. Suddenly both Itami's team and the villagers turned their gaze towards Boba. What would his next move be?

Seeing that he had taken the center stage, Boba merely sighed and took a few steps forward, his blaster hanging at his side.

"Looks like this job is far from over, which means I still have work to do. You lot keep your heads down and out of my line of fire and I'll see you back safely to wherever the Lieutenant is planning on taking us."

 _Though I can't say I approve of bringing that Rory girl with us. Your soft heart might be your downfall someday Itami._

With that, Boba merely nodded and took his leave to go scout the surrounding area. As he did so Kurokawa and Itami watched as he engaged his jetpack and flew off into the distance.

Turning to face Itami, she voiced her opinion on the bounty hunter. "For all the coldness he displays, something tells me there's a lot more to that man underneath the armor."

Itami sighed and ran a hand through his bushy hair, "I think you might be right, but I think It'll be a while before he opens up to us."

Kurokawa watched as Boba landed atop a small canyon wall and began to slowly patrol. "Can you blame him? He's farther away from home than any of us, a man lost in time. Wherever he came from molded him to his very core, but I think here he might have a chance to start new."

As Itami began to head back to his truck to catch some sleep, he silently thought to himself.

 _But how long will that be?_

* * *

Itami violently awoke to a series of loud bangs against his door, rising out of his seat he was quickly greeted by Boba's helmet staring at him through his window.

"Have a good nap? It's time to move."

Itami rubbed the sleep from his eyes and raised an eyebrow at the bounty hunter, "D-did you sleep at all last night?"

Boba merely shook his head in response, "Not till this job's finished, besides you didn't post a watch last night."

 _It's almost like as if you're trying to get your men killed._

Embarrassed, Itami merely smiled nervously. It was true, he had completely forgotten to post one. Before he could apologize, Boba promptly cut him off.

"Don't bother apologizing, you are paying me to ensure their safety and the villagers. Double of which is still coming my way for the dragon."

 _Gods help you if you've forgotten_.

Itami nodded and gave a small yawn before tapping Kurata on the shoulder, "Start the truck, we're leaving soon." Kurata merely yawned and gave Itami a thumbs up before depressing the ignition on the vehicle's console. With a roar the vehicle's engine roared to life and soon it's noise was joined by the others. Grabbing a handset from the vehicle's center console, Itami addressed the team.

"Alright, boys and girls, rise and shine. We're heading back to Alnus."

A series of rogers were sent up the net, meanwhile, Boba made his way to the back of the truck and stopped just outside the door. The three girls from before were scattered about the troop bay taking up more space then was necessary. Lowering his blaster, Boba slowly turned his head and regarded each of them.

"Move."

Slowly each of the girls took up a spot on the opposite bench as the bounty hunter sat across from them, closing the door behind him as he took up his spot. After a few moments, he slammed his fist on the back of Kurata's seat, jolting the Staff Sergeant wide awake.

"Let's go driver, daylight's burning and so is my patience for my payment."

Kurata gulped and shifted the vehicle into drive, he was already on less than stellar terms with the now sleep deprived bounty hunter. No need to anger him any further. With that, the vehicle shifted into gear and led the rest of the trucks out of the canyon. As the truck whined and bounced over the terrain, Boba looked at Itami.

"What's our destination Lieutenant?"

Without turning his head, Itami continued to look out the window as he addressed the bounty hunter. "Alnus Hill, or rather what used to be Alnus Hill. It's been our main and only base of operations ever since we entered this world."

Boba merely cocked his head to the side, his blaster cradled in his arms all the while.

"And my pay?"

Had the bounty hunter seen it, Itami had gulped. In truth, he really had no idea how or if his superiors would even allow this to continue, more importantly, was the consequences of what would happen if he didn't fulfill his end of the contract.

"Yes of course! Waiting for you in full upon our arrival, my superiors will be able to handle it." As Itami sighed and looked over his shoulder he was greeted by Boba's visor inches away from his face.

"For your sake, you'd better hope so... _ **Lieutenant**_."

As Boba returned back to his seat he returned his gaze to the rear of the troop bay and out the window at the passing Special Region countryside.

The ride back to Alnus was uneventful to say the least, not that it bothered Boba much. At one point Lelei had gotten uncomfortable being crammed next to the elf and Rory. So with an expressionless face, she calmly made her way to the other side and sat next to the quiet bounty hunter, much to Rory's dismay he had even allowed her to lean against him when she had passed out.

Everyone had to bear with the exchange that followed shortly after.

"What?! That's not fair! Why does the sorcerer get to sit next to you?"

"Because."

"Because why?!"

 _She's the only one I somewhat trust so far. "Sorcerer" or not, she led me to the village. She's quiet, keeps to herself, and, more importantly, doesn't bother me. As for her "powers", I'll get to the bottom of that later._

"Because I said so, now stop asking."

"You're mean Boba!"

"You haven't seen mean yet, why don't you bother the Lieutenant instead?

"Good idea!"

"S-stop! There's no room for you up here!"

Meanwhile, the elf had merely sat there and watched with curious eyes as the scene unfolded before her.

It wouldn't be too long before things went back to the same quiet before, for a while the canyon stretched on until it was replaced by the familiar green fields of the countryside.

For a while, Boba watched as the fields and hills seemed to pass by endlessly, soon they were replaced by an endless sea of destroyed earth. Craters pockmarked the brown landscape as the trucks began to make their way through down a long stretch of road.

 _Signs of a battle here, big one too. The "JSDF" must've really dropped a lot of hurt against these primitives, never bring a knife to a gun fight._

As the convoy continued down the road, Boba's sensors began to ping multiple signals and fast. Readying his blaster he gazed out the rear window. Every so often small aircraft would fly by, their rotors whooping and cutting through the air as their stubby chin-mounted guns scanned for targets.

To Boba they were potential threats. to the girls they were strange flying palanquins and it showed in their curious eyes as they watched the new sights zip around.

 _Some sort of vertical and stationary take off copters? Primitive as far as gunships go, but still, wouldn't want to get caught with my pants down by one of those._

Noticing Boba's concentration on the helicopters, Itami tried to explain what they were. "Those are AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters, they're with us. Though they probably pale in comparison to what you're used to seeing."

Boba nodded not removing his gaze from them, "My ship could destroy those long before they ever knew what hit them, hell just about any attack ship I know of could."

 _And then rain destruction down upon you without fear of consequences._

Itami and Kurata looked at each other with nervous looks before they resumed to watching the road ahead. As the convoy continued down the road Boba began to see a massive fortress appear over the horizon, in a way its design reminded him of a few Imperial bastions he had visited during his job offers. Large walls surrounded its interior on all sides, just at a glance, Boba could tell the fortress was in the shape of a star.

As the trucks got closer, they approached a massive steel gate. As it swung open two gate guards stood duty and waved the trucks in. As they entered the massive complex Boba was already formulating plans for his escape if he'd need to, better safe than sorry. Soon the trucks stopped in front of a large two-story rectangular building, one by open they opened up and the occupants began to emerge.

All was well until Boba stepped out. With his kit bag slung over his shoulder and his blaster cradled in his arms, he stood out as definitely not being one of the locals. A fact not lost on some JSDF personnel as they eyed him with suspicious looks, some had even readied their weapons. Meanwhile, Boba merely stood there nonchalantly, he what would happen if they tried something.

 _Can't say I blame them, but if they want to fight they better be ready to see it through to the end._

Seeing a growing tension, Itami stood in front of Boba and tried to wave them off. "It's okay! He's with us, it's a long story!"

At this remark some of them merely shook their heads and went about their days, staring at the strange heavily armored man all the while. Sighing, Itami turned his gaze to the bounty hunter.

"Could you uh, not try to be so intimidating? Fantasy characters are one thing, but to be honest...you kinda stick out ya know?"

Boba merely shrugged, "Good, let them know who to be wary of. Means they're not being lax, I'd be wary of me too." Itami merely sighed and called out to Kuwahara."Sergeant Major, can you go ahead and help take care of the refugees? I have some business with Fett."

The old soldier merely nodded and began to tend to the refugees with the rest of the team, meanwhile, Boba turned to face Itami.

"Well then Lieutenant, my pockets aren't getting any deeper. Let's go."

With that, the pair made their way up to the large reception building, before they both entered the double doors, Itami turned to face Boba.

"Could you uh, wait here? I need to explain this slowly to my superiors, having you just barge in won't help my case." The bounty hunter slowly nodded and leaned against a wall next to one of the doors.

"Do what you must, but make it quick."

Itami sighed and made his way indoors, leaving Boba outside to stand around. Something he hated doing. Minutes began to pass as Boba stood there, subconsciously he had begun to tap his fingers against his blaster's stock. Occasionally he'd hear some shouting inside, no doubt Itami was getting an earful from his superior officer.

 _Enough of this, time to make an entrance._

Having finally having had enough waiting, Boba straightened himself and made his way in through the double doors. Stepping a few feet inside Boba suddenly felt the head of every JSDF soldier present turn their gaze upon him. Meanwhile at the center of the room, Itami watched as his superior officer, Yanagida, froze behind his desk. His normally calm and collected face twisting into one of surprise as his glasses almost fell off.

Itami didn't need to turn around to know why.

"W-who are you!?"

Boba took a few steps forward and stood next to Itami, his blaster ever open for all to see. "Boba Fett, the man your Lieutenant here hired, the same man expecting his pay for a finished job."

Yanagida slowly turned to face Itami, his anger, and shock clear for all to see. "Exactly what was the job? And just how much did you two agree on?"

As Itami began to figuratively sweat bullets, Boba took the initiative answered the Yanagida's question.

"To ensure the safe travels of not only his team, but the villagers we were escorting as well. Should the dragon show up and it did, double the final amount. Seeing as how the money I usually use is of no value here, you'd better start showing me some items of value, or a currency I can use. As for aiding your campaign as a whole, I can see that Itami here clearly has no say in that. So if you don't mind I'd like to see the man in charge of all this."

Boba's fingers began to slowly tap against the stock of his blaster, "And fast might I add."

For a few moments, all was quiet in the office. Many of the soldiers had no idea who this man was, but they knew he was certainly confident enough to come onto their base and make demands. Something told them he was outnumbered, but definitely not outgunned. Finally, Yangida rubbed his forehead with a shaking hand.

"Fett was it? I-if you could just follow me I'll take you to our commander."

Boba nodded, but just before he went to follow the officer he slowly muttered to Itami.

"If this doesn't check out, just know that I won't be giving you a head start."

And with that the bounty hunter followed Yanagida through another set of doors, leaving a distraught Itami and a very large group of confused soldiers.

* * *

Boba followed the small man through a series of hallways and up some stairs, everywhere they went, surprised and shocked faces followed. As they finally made their way towards a red door at the end of a hallway Yanagida and turned to face Boba.

"This is Lieutenant General Hazama's office, currently he's the commander of all military operations here in the Special Region. If there's anyone who can sort this out, it's him."

 _For Itami's sake, he better._

Boba merely nodded and the officer promptly turned around, with a heavy sigh he opened the door and beckoned the bounty hunter inside. At the center of the office and behind a large wooden desk sat an elderly soldier. His thick brown mustache, regulation haircut, and stressed features reminded Boba a lot of the Kuwahara, a man who had served his country for quite some time.

As the pair stepped inside, the general slowly looked up. Upon seeing Boba rather than jump out of his seat like everyone else he merely closed the folder he had been looking through and sighed.

 _Well well, now here's a man with some bearing._

Yanagida cleared his throat and stood at attention, "Sir, this is Boba Fett. The bounty hunter that Lieutenant Youji...hired."

Hazama slowly stood up behind his desk and outstretched his hand, "Ah yes, the "man from the future". I am Lieutenant General Hazama, commander of the JSDF forces operating here in the Special Region. It's good to finally meet you, Fett."

 _Polite too, finally someone I can work with._

Boba took a few steps forward and promptly held Hazama's in a firm handshake. "Well, it's good to finally meet the man in charge of all this. Maybe now I can get my pay and a bloody sense of direction."

As the two finished their handshake Hazama turned to face the younger officer, "That'll be all Yanagida, go ahead and let Itami take his leave. No doubt he'll have his hands full with the refugees, that can be punishment enough for now."

The officer stood straight, bowed and took his leave. As the door closed behind him, Hazama returned to his seat. "Please Fett, have a seat and we can begin."

Noticing a small wooden office chair in front of the desk; Boba nodded, slung his blaster, dropped his bag, and took a seat. As he did so Hazama interlocked his hands and began to speak.

"I apologize for Itami's actions. He means well, but often his mind isn't in the right place about how to go about doing things. When I first heard that he had hired you, I confess I was a little confused at first. I had no idea what a bounty hunter from these lands could possibly have to offer us. Then I heard you weren't from here or even our own world, that left me even more confused. Now that I've gotten a good look at you, I don't think where is an applicable term for you, but rather when. Am I correct in this assumption?"

Boba merely nodded and adjusted in his seat, "Well General, I'm no specialist on portals. My profession is a straight forward one, I get paid and I neutralize or subdue a target or targets that a client wants out of the equation. Of course, that also means I've done a lot of traveling during my hunts, I've seen a lot of things, but never anything like this. All I know for certain is that your people and this world are definitely not at the same level of technology that I'm used to. So yes, I'd say when is more than applicable here. "

Not moving from his position Hazama stared at Boba's visor as he responded.

"Well, I can certainly understand where you're coming from. There's still a lot we don't know about the gate that opened in our world as well and even less about this world that it has led us to. What we do know is that someone or something is responsible for creating it and sending a sizable army into our world. They killed a lot of innocent people, Fett, this is something that can't go unanswered. So far our forces are the only ones operating here, but many other powers are supporting us and there's even talk that some might be granted the opportunity to assist us here."

Boba cocked his head to the side as he adjusted in his seat. His visor regarding the general's eyes all the while.

"Well, I can certainly understand your situation General. As a fellow warrior I too know the value of defending one's people and lands, but with all due respect the how or why of your presence here concerns me little. When Itami and I shook hands we made a deal, luckily this applies you as well. I agreed to help your campaign here so long as any job or mission I'm given doesn't interfere with my code. In return, I expect to be compensated for my services as well as being assisted in returning to my own plane of existence. Though I belong to an order of warriors, it differs greatly from yours in that I'm given a great deal of personal freedom to live my life however I see fit so long as it doesn't interfere with the order's values. Thus far my life consists of fighting for a paycheck, being here doesn't change that."

 _Or anywhere for that matter. The Resol'nare is absolute as are the teachings of my father._

Hazama sat up straight and continued to regard the bounty hunter for a while. For a while, he seemed to be going through his options until he finally sighed.

"Where we come from bounty hunting is an outlandish occupational field. Though we do have mercenaries in some parts of the world, my country doesn't support such activities. However, my country does value honoring contracts as well as personal honor. These are strange times we live in, I expect great change to overcome this world and my own in the coming years. That been said...perhaps we can reach a sort of impasse?"

Throughout the conversation, Boba had noticed the general's eyes looking at the various weapon systems adorning his armor. Boba already knew what he was hinting at, he also had an answer waiting for that.

"General you wish to see my technology and possibly learn about how it works. I'm no fool, I know that I'm possibly the second greatest scientific discovery to you besides the gate. My answer is no, your people will have to advance just as the people in my universe had to. Nothing I have can be used for the benefit of mankind, all my gear is designed for one thing, to kill. That been said, my original offer stands nonnegotiable in what I demand and what you shall receive. Should you not wish for my services any further that's fine by me, I'll find my own way out of here. But I do expect to be paid in full for my last job, if you honor contracts like you say you do, you'll honor this one."

 _I already know how this will end, you won't let me out of your grasp that easily. In fact, I wager you'll try to use me as some sort of bargaining chip in your world, a sign that you have access to advanced technology. You don't have access to anything here General, but something tells me you'll go through with the contract in some vain hope that you do._

Hazama couldn't hide the look of disappointment in his eyes, but he could also see an inescapable situation when he saw one. The general sighed as he regarded the bounty hunter with a look of defeat.

"Very well Fett, in trying to avoid any future tensions I won't press the matter further. We already have enough on our plate as it is. Though I can't say my superiors will sit well with the idea of a bounty hunter working for us, you have offered to help us in the coming campaign. Your skill and lack of actual attachment to our organization might give us an extra edge. That been said since I'm in charge of operations here, any jobs that you take on will come down from me personally. As for your payment for the last job, rumors from some refugees have circulated about the worth of dragon scales. Though we aren't sure how the economy works here, we have been told the scales are worth quite a lot and it just so happens there's a large concentration of dead dragons outside our base. Take as much as you'd like, as for future payments I'll have to arrange something for you to be compensated in other ways."

 _Just as I predicted._

Boba leaned back in his chair and interlocked his hands, "You've made a wise decision general, in time you'll find that I'm money well spent. The dragon that threatened your men and the villagers found that out the hard way. Now for other matters; gear and living accommodations. As you can see, I'm always prepared for any eventuality, but my resources are only so finite. My blaster should last me for the foreseeable future, any other pieces of equipment not so much. Should I need to resupply, I'll need to have access to your armory. As for the living accommodations, let's just say I don't share quarters with anyone."

 _For their safety more so than mine._

Hazama sighed and rubbed his forehead as he let the requests sink in, "Well I can certainly understand that Fett, hopefully, your requests aren't too vast. As for the accommodations, we do have officer housing on the base. I'll let Yanagida know to set something up for you...anything else?"

Boba slowly stood up, as he did so he grabbed his kit bag.

"No General, I think that'll be all for now."

Hazama rose from his chair and extended his hand out to Boba, "Well then Fett, It's a pleasure to be doing business with you. In time I hope we can develop a certain amount of trust in each other."

Boba extended a hand and shook Hazama's firmly, his visor regarding him all the while. "Likewise general, likewise."

With that, the bounty hunter nodded and took his leave. As he closed the door behind him Hazama slumped into his chair, this bounty hunter would be almost as much paperwork as the entire operation so far.

* * *

As Boba made his way out of the building and into the base he looked around, this was going to be his new home for the foreseeable future. In truth he was picky, it wouldn't be the first time he had to take residence on a military installation. First things first, though, he'd need to find the officer's housing area.

 _Drop my gear off, collect my pay._

Boba fished into his pocket and pulled out a small key, he eyed it for a few moments before unslinging his blaster and beginning to walk.

That Major told me to come out the doors and make a left, followed by another. Straight shot from there, my building is the last one in the first row. Number 106, he better not have messed the instructions up.

As he traveled through the base's winding roads he took note of key locations of interest; aircraft hangars, vehicle bays, fuel depots, anything that he could destroy and cripple the JSDF's capabilities if they turned on him. It wouldn't be the first time he had to go up against a numerically superior force that had decided not to pay him.

Everywhere he went he was met with looks of confusion and intimidation, whole platoons of troops steered clear from him as he made his way through the base. At one point one of the Cobras had been flying over the base, upon seeing the strange armored man it had banked around and hovered in place, its chin-mounted gun aimed directly at him.

Boba merely stood there and slowly shook his head, staring down the helicopter's operators all the while. In truth he could have easily shot it down with his wrist mounted missile; locking it, firing, and jetpacking out of the way would be a short affair. After a few moments, the helicopter merely turned in place and flew off elsewhere, no doubt having been told to not engage the armored man.

 _N'kurkad._

Finally after some more close encounters with the base's garrison, Boba finally found the officer housing area. Rows of single-story concrete buildings went back as far as the eye could see. Making his way through a small gate, he eyed the buildings. They weren't glamorous by any means, but Boba was never one for picky living conditions. As long as it had a roof, walls, and made for a somewhat defensible position, he'd make due.

Eyeing the last building at the end of the first row, he made his way towards it. As he climbed a small series of steps he unlocked his building's door and stepped inside.

It was a simple room, two beds took up positions parallel from each other at opposite ends of the room. Behind each of the beds sat a small office desk with a simple metal chair. In the center of the room sat a simple red sofa and a small table, a nice place to kick his feet at the end of a long day. The room was definitely meant for two people, but in Boba's case, there'd only be one person living in this one.

Before he proceeded any further, he scanned the room several times over with his helmet. In every spectrum from UV to thermal he double checked the room the make sure there wasn't any bugs or tracking devices. After a few moments he set his vision back to normal and sighed in relief, everything checked out fine.

 _They should know better than to try anything clever with me._

Closing the door behind him and locking it, Boba made his way to the center of the room and sat down on the sofa. Letting his bag slide off his shoulder, he placed his blaster on top of it and stretched his legs out over the table. Doing a quick double take around the room, he disengaged his helmet's seal and for the first time in what had felt like forever, he gave himself a breath of fresh air.

Setting the helmet down on the table, he ran a gloved hand over his closely shaved black hair and down his scarred face. For all his tenacity he couldn't deny the fact that he was tired.

 _Payment, chow, possibly a shower, sleep, and onto the next job.  
_

Feeling his newly acquired lightsaber poking against his side, Boba unclipped it from his belt and took a good look at it. He slowly spun it in his hand as his tired eyes ran over it in detail. In truth a Knight's saber would have a been a much better prize, but a Padawan's was indistinguishable from any other to the eyes of the unaware.

 _And to the eyes of someone who's never even seen one before, this weapon alone will both amaze and terrify them. You're going to help me do just that when it's time to make my name known across this land. But all in due time, right now it's time to get what I'm due._

Clipping the saber back to his belt, Boba gave a small groan of exhaustion and slowly stood up. After he redonned his helmet, he grabbed his blaster and bag before making his way towards the door and out into the Special Region afternoon. Promptly locking the door behind him, he made his way down the stairs and out into the main road, before he could even take another step a voice called out to him. One he could've done just fine without at that moment.

"Boba! It appears fate has brought us together once again!"

 _Right now **fate** is really testing my patience_.

Slowly turning around, he was relieved to see that Rory wasn't alone, accompanying her was Lelei and the elf who was now wearing a simple civilian's outfit. Clad in tight fitting jeans, sneakers, and a short white shirt, she looked more lost in time than he did.

"And to what do I owe this inconvenience, Rory?"

As the girls approached him the young apostle giggled and looked up at him with her vibrant red eyes, "Cold as ever, how long do you intend to keep a girl chasing?"

Meanwhile, Lelei looked at Boba with the same expressionless look she always had on her face, holding her staff stood at attention by her side.

"It's good to see you, have the Jay Es Dee Ef been accommodating to you as well? They're actually making houses for us with their strange iron wagons and there's talk they'll be preparing a feast for us later."

Sure enough, Boba looked down the road and could see large tracked construction vehicles moving the earth, what was bothersome about it was the fact that they weren't too far away from where he'd be staying. That meant Rory wouldn't be too far either, shaking his head he turned to face the girls.

"Normally I'm the one doing the chasing Rory, but I also do a fine job of staying out of harm's way as well. So you'll find yourself chasing for a long time, as for you Lelei, it's good to see you as well. As for the accommodations, let's just say they didn't have much of a choice."

Meanwhile, the elf stood silently in the back and stared every which way, like she was looking for something or someone. Boba merely shook his head and looked back at Lelei, "So what brings you three here? Shouldn't you have an escort?

Rory giggled and took a step closer to Boba, "We're on our way to collect dragon scales outside this fortress, you could be our escort or just _**my**_ escort. I can certainly think of something to pay you with."

Her last words flowed out of her mouth like water as her tongue slowly ran across her lips. For just a moment Boba was almost curious to see just what she meant.

Dismissing the notion of temptation from his mind he quickly composed himself, "That's a job I'll have to decline Rory, you won't find any weakness in my bearing. As for the scales, how much are they worth?"

As Rory began to pout Lelei answered the bounty hunter's question, "A very high price Boba...per scale."

 _Say no more adiik, you had me at "very". Good call Hazama._

"Good, that just so happens to be my pay. As such I'll be taking as much as I deem fit for my services, stay behind me and we can make this quick."

Each of the girls nodded their heads and with that the odd group made their way through the base and out the gate.

* * *

In a killing field outside the base, Boba led the three girls around the corpses of the dragons killed earlier on. Unlike the flame dragon, they were a lot smaller and of a matte black color. Once he checked to make sure every dragon was indeed dead, he gave a thumbs up to the girls and the gathering began.

Thankfully the process of collecting the scales had been a quiet one. Boba would stop to take his share first, depositing the goods into his bag. When it was the girls' turn he would slowly stand off to the side and keep a quiet watch as they took their share.

At one point the elf had stopped at one dragon and had stared at it for a while, something about it reminded her of something, a fact not lost on the bounty hunter as he made his way over to her.

"Daylight's burning girl if you don't want anymore that's fine by me, I have plenty of room left." As he addressed her, she merely stood there and continued to stare at the small dragon's corpse, her eyes slowly going over it.

Shaking his head Boba promptly made his way ahead of her and gave the dragon's head a good stomp, caving its skull in. As he removed his boot with a sickening squelching sound he scraped it against the dirt and turned to look at her. "There, now can you stop your staring, you're starting to unnerve me."

The girl's eyes finally blinked with renewed vigor as she nodded in thanks and took her share. Shaking his head Boba made his way over towards Lelei, his voice barely a whisper.

"What's wrong with that girl? Those eyes have seen death and pain, I know that look anywhere."

Not removing her gaze from the elf she responded in her usual monotone voice, "Her name is Tuka Luna Marceau. Itami's team found her in a well, her village was destroyed by the flame dragon. To my knowledge her father more than likely perished in the attack as well, but she doesn't seem to understand that."

 _As I thought, another fatherless child. This one seems to have taken the path of ignorance and sorrow, however. In time, it will consume her to the point of no return. Concussion and PTSD, you sure know how to pick them Itami...or'dinni._

Boba merely shook his head and watched as Tuka slowly gathered the scales, as the sun began to set he made a circling motion with his hand.

"Alright girls, I've gotten my share which means I'll be taking my leave. Unless you want to be out here alone in the dark I suggest you do the same."

As Boba began to walk towards the gate Rory quickly ran up to walk beside him, meanwhile, Lelei gave Tuka a pat on the shoulder. "He's right, we should go."

Slowly standing up, Tuka quietly nodded and with that the pair quickened their pace to join the others.

* * *

As the sun began to set over the pace, Boba led the group through the winding paths until they were back in familiar territory. As he began to split off from the group Lelei called out to him.

"Will you be joining us for dinner Boba?"

Meanwhile, Rory's face twisted into one of mock sadness, "Oh please, won't you join us?"

Tuka had nothing to add to their requests as she stood there staring off into space.

 _Can't argue with free food, it's been a while since I've eaten something that isn't designed just to keep me functioning. Good chance I'll be working with that clown Itami and his team in the future as well. Might as well build some sort of working relationship._

Without turning his head Boba made his way to the officer housing's gate, "I'll be there in an hour."

Had he turned around he would have noticed that Lelei had actually smiled, she was genuinely happy her new friend would be joining them. Rory on the other hand merely licked her lips, she just wanted to get closer to the mysterious warrior and in more ways than one. With that, the two groups parted and went their separate ways.

As Boba entered his building he promptly closed and locked the door behind him, tossing his bag onto the couch he removed his helmet and set it down onto the table with his blaster taking its place beside it shortly after. Depositing his lightsaber into the bag he then stuffed the bag under the couch.

 _Out of everything I own, if this lightsaber falls into anyone's hands? It's going to completely flip the script on their notion of technology, but not before I make sure heads will roll as a consequence._

Satisfied his stash was safely hidden, he then sighed as he began the arduous process of removing his gear. As much as he didn't want to, it was hardly warrior like to eat at a table in full gear. Although he wasn't one to openly share his background with anyone, he was still a Mandalorian at heart just like his father. That meant there was still a code of honor to live by.

As more of the armor finally came off, all that was left was his gray jumpsuit. As he took that off, he stared at himself in a small wall mounted mirror. He saw the reflection of his father; his face, the same simple loose fitting shirt and trousers he wore under his jumpsuit, everything. He was used to it by now, having long coming to terms with the fact that he was a clone of his father.

 _Unaltered and free to grow as a normal human boy, well as normal as a clone can be._

Unlike his father, however, he had a great deal more scars. Some were from old battles, but many were earned from his time inside the Sarlaac. Those scars were a double edged sword, they detailed a great shame, but also a great victory as well. As far as Fett knew, he was the only being to ever escape one, his iron will and armor seeing him to victory once again.

Making his way to the bathroom, he turned the sink on and ran his calloused hands under the sink, occasionally stopping to splash some on his face. Finally turning the sink off he looked at himself in the mirror with a smirk.

"Time to make an entrance."

Heading back over towards his bag he reached around inside and pulled out a small WESTAR-34 blaster pistol and a holster to go with it. It was symbolic as it was one of the original guns his father carried on his jobs. Spinning it on one finger he fastened the holster on his hip with his free hand and spun the pistol into its proper place.

 _Not as good as you, but I make it work._

Satisfied everything was in good order he zipped his kit bag up and made his way out of his building.

* * *

At a makeshift dining area, Itami and his team sat the refugees around a long table. It wasn't anything extraordinary, but to the locals, it was fine dining. Never had they seen food prepared so quickly and in such quantities. Then again anyone who was exposed to field rations for the first time often thought the same thing.

As trays began to be set out and the food was served, Itami began to address the refugees holding his red language book in front of him all the while.

"Okay please go ahead and?..."

For a while Itami stood there and looked out into the distance, his eyes transfixed on something. Everyone who was present at the table looked at him with raised eyebrows for a while. It was like as if something so shocking had prevented him from speaking. When they looked in the direction he had been looking in, they soon saw why.

A strange man in strange loose fitting attire had made his way to the table, various scars adorned his emotionless face as his gaze made its way across the group. Once he began to speak, everyone knew exactly who it was. Helmet or not his accent was too unique to miss.

Boba Fett.

"What's the matter Itami? You look like you've seen a ghost...please don't let me interrupt."

Itami stammered as he tried to take in what he was seeing, "F-Fett? I didn't expect you'd be here, I was actually going to see you later." Boba merely raised an eyebrow as he made his way around the table, all eyes were upon him as he made his way over to Itami.

"Well isn't this just convenient then? Looks like my luck never seems to rub off, but say...you wouldn't happen to have any seconds now would you?"

Before Itami could respond, Kurokawa had spoken up a small smile on her face. "Why yes it just so happens that we do, please join us!" Boba turned his gaze over towards Kurokawa, a small smirk forming on his face. "Thank you, Sergeant, I appreciate that."

As he made his way towards one of the tents, a cook gave him one of the premade trays and a set of chopsticks, as he nodded his head in thanks, Boba made his way towards the table and looked for a place to sit.

"Boba, here." Lelei patted an empty seat between her and Tuka as she stared at the bounty hunter with wide eyes filled with curiosity. She didn't think she'd ever see her new friend without his armor on.

As Boba took his seat next to Lelei he looked across the table at a smiling Rory. She blushed as she held her face, Boba merely shook his head as he prepared his chopsticks. "Rory, you look like a Nerf in heat, could you for once stop thinking with your loins and let a man enjoy his meal? As for everyone else, is there something on my face? Please eat up, I'm a guest here and your making me nervous. I don't like being nervous."

Clearing his throat Itami opened his book and continued where he left off, "On behalf of the Japanese Self Defense Force, please enjoy this meal."

Each of the villagers bowed their heads in respect meanwhile, Lelei's master had already begun digging into his food. Praising it for all it's unique qualities as he hungrily engorged himself.

Merely raising an eyebrow, Boba silently muttered before he began to eat. " _Kaysh guur' skraan._ "

 _Food's not half bad, reminds me of the old meals I had to make due with while working with the Empire._

For a while everything was quiet as everyone ate their share, occasionally someone would glance over at Boba, only to quickly look away when he turned to look at them. Suddenly one of the children present looked at him with wide eyes.

"Sky man, tell us a story!" Suddenly other children began to join in "Yeah! you're a brave warrior what kind of adventures have you been on!?"

Rory smiled as she interlocked her hands on the table, "Oh yes do tell us a story, sky man..." Boba promptly put his chopsticks down and wiped his mouth with a nearby napkin.

"Well, I suppose it couldn't hurt, well one there was one job I took on. A job that I rather pride myself greatly on."

 _That was a fun hunt._

Everyone present had looked at him with curious eyes, even Itami had begun to listen in inventively as Boba continued. "Anyways, I was once was given a contract to hunt down a Devaronian who went by the moniker The Butcher of Montellian Serat. Nasty looking fellow, like the rest of his kind he looked like one of the devils you might see or read about in a book. Anyways he had a huge bounty on his head, but the orders were to take him in alive. The only problem was was that he had cleverly given every hunter the slip, he knew he was being hunted."

Everyone present sat quietly as they listened in on the story, for the first time they were beginning to learn just a little bit about where he came from.

"He was a terrible fellow, responsible for the death of seven hundred innocents on a planet he was once invading with his army. Anyways he had finally made his way to a backwater planet, Peppel if I recall. Anyways he knew I was after him so he set up a stiff defensive ring of sensors and all kinds of tracking devices so I couldn't get in close with my normal gear. So I had to improvise, once I finally tracked him down I took all my gear off and with a simple bow and arrow I waited for him to emerge from his hut. When the slippery little scum sucker finally emerged I shot him in the shoulder."

The children clapped and cheered as Boba reenacted the scene, drawing and shooting an imaginary bow. Suddenly an amused Kurokawa chimed in as she leaned in closer towards the group.

"So what happened after that?"

Boba slowly turned his gaze towards Kurokawa, his face emotionless as he finished his tale. "Well you see he was wanted by his people for his crimes, they had a terrible plan for him and he knew it too. Begged a whole helluva lot and even tried to have me kill him, of course once I get my job, I see it through to the end. As for what the plan was? Well, it doesn't make for pleasant dinner talk, but let's just say it was very slow from beginning to end."

All was quiet for a while as he finished his tale until Rory giggled "Simply wonderful, and with a simple bow no less. Truly you are a man of many talents."

Meanwhile, Kuwahara who had been mostly quiet throughout the ordeal looked at him with a stern smile, "Indeed most impressive Fett, you have my respect." Even Kuribiyashi had chimed in, with a raised fist she boasted loudly, "Now that was badass!"

From the moment he had been sitting there to the time he had finished his story, Tuka was staring at him with wide eyes. Once he mentioned he had made a kill with a bow and arrow that had doubly attracted her attention. Being an elf, she knew archery better than most, if anything his familiarity with the weapon had just established a common ground.

Boba merely shrugged as he took a sip from his cup of water.

"Comes with the territory."

As Boba sat there Itami slowly began to clap, soon everyone present began to do the same. For a moment, Boba had almost smiled, but instead merely smirked and basked in the glory.

"Ah come off it, it's certainly not my most memorable job. Anyways I'd love to continue, but I have some things I need to attend to back at my quarters."

 _Like a shower and some sleep._

Against a few protests from Rory and the children, he began to rise and prepare himself to take his leave. Meanwhile, Itami approached him and muttered.

"I forgot to mention, the general has a job for you. Tomorrow we'll be going to a place called Italica with the girls, supposedly it's a major trading hub for the entire region. We'll be able to cash in the scales there."

Boba motioned with his head and the pair made their way behind one of the tents when they were finally in a remote place Boba raised an eyebrow as the two began to discuss the job.

"So then another security job is it? What's the payout?"

"Unfortunately, he hasn't told me exactly, but I do know it's going to be a lot."

"I don't like dealing in unknowns Itami."

"I wish I knew myself, but you have to trust that the commander has something big in mind. This is a big step for us, if we can sway this area to our cause it'll bring us one step closer to whoever is in charge of all this."

"I don't care about the big picture Itami, I've told you this before. You're lucky he strikes me as an honest man, otherwise I'd tell you to sod off."

Itami stood there for a while and breathed a sigh of relief, "Thanks, we'll be leaving in the morning so.."

"You don't need to say anymore, I've got the job and I understand what you're asking me to do. Besides I've been wondering what kind of payout these scales will bring, now if you excuse me." With that, Boba began to slowly make his way down the road and away from the dining area.

As Itami stood there, Kurokawa approached him and stood by his side, "I didn't expect him to be so...civil, did you see his face, though? I could feel a lot of pain and vengeance emanating from it."

Itami gave a small smile and watched as the mysterious warrior disappeared behind a turn.

"You're telling me, I almost thought he wasn't human. He's going to be a very interesting character to work with."

 _I'm just glad he's on our side._

* * *

 **Mandalorian Words and Their Translations:**

 _Adiik-_ Child

 _N'kurkad-"_ Don't mess with me" _  
_

 _Or'dinni-_ Fool

 _Kaysh guur' skraan-_ "He loves his food", used in a non derrogatory way. _  
_


	5. The Sky Man Cometh

**So here we are again!  
**

 **The views and follows for this story just keep growing, as ever thanks to each and every one of you!**

 **Boba is certainly an interesting match for the story of GATE. The story revolves around him, not the other way around. He's a fearless veteran who's seen it all and done it all. Sure none of what's going on makes sense to him, but it wouldn't be the first time. If Jedi and highly advanced beings couldn't stop him, what hope do these people have?**

 **That been said we WILL see an evolution of his character, I researched a lot of his EU as well as purchased the Bounty Hunter's Code. Very good information and yet, there's a lot of room to work with him. His Mandalorian heritage, his code, all these things make for a very fun character to work with.**

 ***Update*-All I did was merge chapter Five and Six together, so don't panic. But, you'll all be happy to know the next chapter is going to be up VERY soon.**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: The Sky Man Cometh**

 _"There is no greater good than Justice; and only if law serves Justice is it a good law. It is said correctly that law exists not for the Just but for the unjust, for the Just carry the law in their hearts, and do not need to call it from afar.  
I bow to no one and give service only for cause._"-Boba Fett

Boba ran through the winding paths of the base, at every turn he encountered the bodies of slain JSDF soldiers and refugees. Fires from destroyed vehicles and buildings lit the night sky with a dull orange glow as he tracked down the one he knew was responsible for this.

 _I told you Itami. Now I have to clean up your mess, fix **your** mistake._

Boba took another turn and finally wound up at the main gate, standing at the center was a blood stained and manically laughing Rory. At her feet a defeated Itami knelt before her, weaponless, brought low by her power. Around them lay the bodies of his team, dismembered, scattered like leaves before the wind.

They never stood a chance.

 _Udes o'r naak verda Ni Kelir gra'tuar gar. You weren't Mandalorians, but you fought for a cause, your home. Not even **you** deserved this, your foolish Lieutenant's actions did this to you.  
_

"Boba! Just in the nick of time, I was just about to show Itami the price for his stubbornness to defy me. Perhaps you will learn from his example."

Boba raised his blaster and took aim, but it was for naught. In a flash of speed, Rory had bisected Itami, her halberd but a blur in Boba's helmet feed. Itami never had time to react as both halves of his body neatly collapsed near each other at Rory's feet.

With Itami slain, Rory looked at Boba with hungry eyes as she licked her lips. "See? See the power you are denied? If you but join me by my side we can share this together. You only have but to kneel, be _**mine**_ Boba."

The bounty hunter shook his head and reached for his belt, unclipping his lightsaber he activated it. Its green blade hissed as it extended to its full length, the weapon of his sworn enemy would be his ally in this battle. Holding the saber at the ready and with his blaster aimed at Rory by his hip, his range finder slowly slid down over his helmet.

"No thanks, I prefer to work alone. If we accomplish anything together, it'll be your corpse providing me with my next paycheck. _"_

With that, he activated his jetpack and flew directly at the demigod. His blaster shrieking with every bolt it let loose, his saber held at his side as he prepared the killing blow.

"G _ar ash'amur jii, witch!"_

Rory laughed and readied her halberd, slowly running her free hand down the front of her body, her eyes filled with lust as he got closer. "When you die here I'll take your soul and you'll be _**mine** _ forever."

Boba leveled his blaster right up to Rory's smiling face as he took aim, his saber coming up for a hard swing.

"No deal."

* * *

Boba shot up from his bed, his body covered in sweat as he held his WESTAR in front of him. As adrenaline continued to pump through his body; his eyes darted around his room, searching for the enemy, searching for Rory. As he realized everything he had just experienced was a dream, he slowly lowered his pistol and ran his free hand across his forehead.

Just a dream, but perhaps it was a premonition. A sign of the things to come?

Shaking off the notion, Boba tucked his pistol back under his pillow and slowly clambered out of bed. Looking out his window, he could see that the sun had already risen. Averting his gaze from the light, he cracked his knuckles as he stared at his calloused and scarred hands.

"You're lucky that was a dream Rory, but what's a man's journey to success if not paved with dreams?"

Sighing he stood up and made his way over to his bathroom, clad in a simple tank top and undergarments. As he entered the small bathroom he approached the sink he turned it on, splashing cold water on his face as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. As he turned the water off, he looked at himself in the mirror.

"Right then, time for work."

Making his way back into the room he eyed his armor and jumpsuit on the table smirking, "Hello old friend, ready for another go?"

With practiced hands every piece of gear and armor was fitted and secured, he had done this so many times it was like donning a second skin. In minutes he was fully armored and ready for the next job, the only thing missing was the final and most important piece. His helmet.

Picking it up, he stared at its visor a moment. His eyes regarded the chipped red and green paint that adorned its face as well as the large impact mark on the helmet's forehead.

 _Helmet on, heart gone._

Slowly sliding his helmet on, he pressed a series of buttons on its rear. In moments, his helmet had activated and began displaying the statuses for all his weapon systems. Everything registered green across the board.

He then reached under the couch and grabbed his kit bag, reaching inside he pulled out his blaster carbine and lightsaber. Once the saber was clipped to his belt and his blaster at the ready, he made his way back to his bed and grabbed the WESTAR from under the pillow. He eyed it for a moment before spinning it into his holster.

 _Always ready, never unarmed._

On his way to the door, he picked up his kit bag and stopped at the mirror. He took a moment to look himself over, everything was properly fitted and once again he was prepared for another successful job. He slowly nodded at his reflection and made his way out the door, making sure to lock it behind him.

 _No rest for the wicked._

* * *

"Sir why is that bounty hunter accompanying us? We don't need his kind here, this is a peacekeeping operation, not a show of force."

Sergeant Tomita eyed Boba with contempt as he made his way towards RCT3's vehicles, meanwhile, Itami gave Tomita a nervous smile as he helped Kurata and Kuwahara move another crate of ammunition into the back of the LAV.

"Commander Hazama hired him, he's agreed to help us on our campaign. In return we help him find a way back to his home, it's a fair trade if you ask me."

Tomita rolled his eyes as he adjusted the sling for his Type 64, "Since when did command start hiring mercenaries? If we are to win the hearts and minds of the people here, waving a heavily armed and armored man around is certainly not the best way to go about doing it."

As the rest of RCT3 continued to check their gear and vehicles, Kuwahara approached Tomita. Placing a firm hand on his shoulder, he gave him a firm look.

"These are strange times we live in, all of us are lost. That man is no different though his method and purpose deviate greatly from ours. The Lieutenant General is a wise leader, Boba will no doubt have a very big role to play later on. His lack of connection to anyone gives him a great deal of independence in what he can do, that means he can operate in areas we can't. If he was truly an enemy, I have a feeling we'd all be dead long before we'd catch on. Besides, he has honor even if he doesn't readily show it. He'll honor his end of the bargain, just as he expects the same of us."

Tomita merely nodded and looked at Kuwahara with trust in his eyes, if Kuwahara had a good gut feeling about it? Then everything was going to be fine. Meanwhile, Kurbiyashi chuckled from the back of one of the trucks as she looked at Tomita with a sly smile.

"Yeah you best get used to him Akira, you saw how he handled that dragon. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want to get on his bad side. You saw his face too, hardly the type of guy you'd share a cold one with."

Kuwahara released his grip from Tomita and took a few steps back, "Just work with him Akira, give him the same respect you'd give any of us."

With that, he turned on his heels and went to greet the bounty hunter.

"Fett, I heard you'd be joining us on our mission today! It's always good to have an extra gun by your side."

As Boba got closer he nodded, "Hazama hired me, so you can thank him."

Making his way past Kuwahara he approached Tomita and stopped. He stared at him for a moment as his visor regarded him motionlessly. His voice came through his helmet's speaker like a cold chill.

"You look like you have a chip on your shoulder, something you want to say?"

 _Think you're clever talking in your native tongue? I heard my name and the look you're giving me isn't helping your case._

Tomita stared at him with contempt in his eyes, for a moment, both men looked as though they were ready to throw down. Finally, he straightened himself and extended a gloved hand.

"Sergeant First Class Akira Tomita, good to have you working with us again Fett."

Boba slowly looked down at his hand and then back at him before he extended his own. He grasped Tomita's in a firm handshake as he squeezed just hard enough to let Tomita know he was onto him.

"Right, likewise Sergeant."

Releasing his grip Boba left Tomita to flex his pained hand as he approached Itami.

"Lieutenant, I'll be riding in your truck again."

Before Itami could respond, Rory's voice came from the back of his truck. Accompanying her was Lelei and Tuka.

"Wonderful! I left a spot for you next to me."

Boba slowly shook his head and tossed his kit bag inside, letting it land next to Rory. As he did so, Lelei and Tuka watched it slide over with wide eyes.

"I'll pass, you can watch my bag though."

Rory scowled as Boba turned to face Itami, "So Lieutenant, Italica was it? You said it was an important trading hub for this region?"

Itami nodded as he looked at the girls, "According to the girls, yes. We can cash the scales in there."

Boba cradled his blaster in his arms as he cocked his head to the side, "Right then, the job was to make sure you guys get there and back in one piece. Cashing in the scales will pay for my last job, but if Italica is as important as they say. We can expect a governing body to be in charge there, that also means a garrison. Be ready for a fight, something tells me whichever military you've been fighting will be there too."

As Boba said this, the rest of RCT3 slowly nodded their heads. The bounty hunter was right, such an important location would have to be well defended.

Boba looked at Tuka, his gaze was enough to let her know to scoot over next to Lelei. As she did so Boba clambered inside and turned to face Itami.

"Well then, let's not waste any time."

Itami nodded as he raised his hand and spun it in a circular fashion, " _Hai_ , alright team! Mount up and roll out!"

A series of " _Hai_ "'s rang out as men and women began to board their vehicles, engines roared to life and comm checks were carried out in short order. Meanwhile, weapons' charging handles were racked back and gear was fastened for the trip and possible fight ahead. In moments, RCT3's trucks were rolling out the main gate and into the Special Region countryside.

* * *

"So Fett if you don't mind me asking, how long have you been bounty hunting?"

Boba continued to look out the truck's rear window, gazing at the countryside as Kurata asked the question he knew was bound to come up sooner or later. Without turning back, he answered the question.

"A long time."

"How long is a long time?"

"Since I was a young boy."

Silence followed for a moment as Kurata let the answer sink in. Boba knew what was going to come next.

"How young?"

"Do you want the official answer or the unofficial answer?"

"...Both."

Boba slowly turned his head and looked at the truck's rear view mirror, his visor staring directly at Kurata's wide eyes.

"Officially, thirteen."

As his head went back to looking back out the rear window, he answered the second half.

"Unofficially, about eight or nine."

 _Dark days, it's been so long I can't even remember._

Kurata and Itami looked at each other with shocked looks for a brief moment, this man had known violence since he was a child? What kind of galaxy demanded this of a boy? What kind of life was he thrown into? Meanwhile, Lelei and Tuka had exchanged worried looks, Rory on the other hand only seemed to be more enticed by the prospect of a man practically born into violence.

Now it was Itami's turn to ask, "Fett, your father was a bounty hunter...wasn't he?"

Boba scoffed and braced himself as the truck took a sharp turn, once they evened out he continued to look out the rear window as he answered Itami's question.

"If you two keep asking me questions about my past, I'm going to start charging you."

"Well uh..."

"You don't want to pay _**my**_ prices for something so trivial."

Itami and Kurata sounded off at the same time, "Understood..."

The two soldiers sighed and went back to staring out their windows, they had been so close to having Boba open up. All they knew now was that he was pretty much a born killer. That hardly made for pleasant conversation.

Meanwhile, Boba went back to looking out the back window, he hated long transits and right now he was certainly in one. It also didn't help that his mind kept wandering back to his dream.

 _There's a reason for it._

"Rory, this god of yours, Emroy. What does he or it represent?"

For the first time, Boba had actually initiated conversation with Rory on somewhat friendly terms. A fact not lost on the Apostle's face as her eyes lit up with the delight, her hands clasping together as she blushed.

"Dearest Boba, Emroy is the god of darkness, war, death, insanity, and violence. Why do you wish to know? Have you finally come around to my outreaches? Are you ready to take us into your heart? To take _**me**_ into your heart?"

 _Insanity and violence? You've just secured your place at the top of my "most likely to kill" list. Even the Sith had some degree of purpose, something you and your "god" clearly lack._

Boba slowly turned his helmet to face her, if she could see beneath his visor, she would have seen the look of disgust on his face.

"No, in fact now I'm fairly certain you're just a psychopath. Even the most violent of bounty hunters I've met had honor, a sense of direction and code. You have none of that, you and your god just kill for the sake of killing? You're no warrior, you're the instrument of chaos incarnate. Quite frankly I want nothing to do with you, I have only killed when I need to. Be it revenge, a job, defense, or honor, but never without a reason."

As Boba finished his verbal assault the rest of the truck's occupants sat there in silence. His words had been like shards of ice, piercing their hearts and making them subconsciously cringe even if they hadn't been directed at them. As for Rory, she had quite the opposite reaction. Rather than be offended, it looked as though she was actually enjoying his disgust.

She covered her face with her hands, her red eyes gazed at him through her spread fingers with affection. She began to breathe heavily as she stared him.

 _I swear by the soul that I don't have. When the job to take you down comes in I'll do it faster than any job I've ever done before. I'll wipe that smile right off your face.  
_

Boba's verbal assaults were far from done, however, turning his head towards Itami he began his assault anew.

"And _**you**_ Itami. You're just going to let a dangerous individual like this prance around your base? Accompany you on your missions? What happens if she gets lost in a moment of bloodshed? What happens if you get caught up in it and get hacked down just like everyone else? You endanger not only yourself but everyone you bring her around."

Itami had been so shook by Boba's words that he had actually started to cough violently. No one not even his instructors had ever pierced his heart in such a way. This bounty hunter was questioning his very right to lead men. Meanwhile, Kurata just sat there, his eyes frozen to the road as he continued to drive the vehicle.

As Itami began to compose himself, he slowly turned to face the bounty hunter. "B-boba, where we're from we believe in guilty until proven otherwise. She hasn't done anything yet to make her guilty, I would never endanger my men. Just give her a chance."

Boba scoffed as he shook his head, returning his gaze to the rear window.

"Where I come from we believe in avoiding a crisis while we still have time, many an individual and civilization has fallen from not being more suspicious. I've only survived this long because of my own intuitions. Just wise words from one who has seen it happen first hand across the galaxy. Take them to heart Itami, I don't often give anything away for free, not even advice."

Quiet once more, the air inside the truck had taken a turn for the worse and it reflected on all the occupants. One question still remained one that Boba had allowed Kurata to ask.

"Fett, so what do you believe in?"

Boba shifted to face Kurata, slowly pointing to his right yellow shoulder guard. Displayed on it was the weathered image of a skull that looked not unlike the extinct mammoths of Itami and Kurata's world. Painted in red and etched upon a white background, it seemed to glare menacingly at Kurata even through the rear view mirror. Meanwhile, the three girls strained as they tried to maneuver around to see it.

"This.."

"What does that image mean?"

"To be a Mandalorian."

"And what does that mean?"

Fett slowly shifted back to his original position as he resumed his casual grip on his blaster, "That's a story for another time."

 _When the time is right and I deem you worthy enough to hear about it._

Suddenly the radio on Itami's shoulder blared to life, "Sir, we're approaching Italica now."

Itami grabbed the handset and spoke into it, "Roger that, eyes up people."

Meanwhile, the sounds of various weapon systems humming to life began to emanate from the back of the truck and over the sound of gravel underneath large tires. Boba gripped his blaster tight as he turned to face Itami, nodding slowly as he pressed a series of buttons on one of his gauntlets.

"Showtime Youji."

* * *

The three armored trucks made their way up a large central road towards Italica, on either side, large farmlands went on for as far as the eye could see. On either side of the road's edges sat carefully planted trees, no doubt set up as a welcome sight to any weary travelers.

Boba looked towards the front of the vehicle and its front window as the trading town grew closer and closer. It was certainly a massive thing, large stone walls towered off the ground, surrounding the town and creating an impenetrable defense. Not like it mattered to him though, that was what jetpacks were for.

Stopping a few hundred meters out from a large gate, the trucks fanned out across the road creating an almost makeshift road block. This was to ensure they had overlapping fields of fire to the front, something Boba could respect. At least they had a notion of tactics.

Boba set his blaster to single shot and checked to make sure his pouches were stocked, he took a quick glance out the truck's front as he lowered his range finder.

"Right, doesn't appear like they've set out a welcoming committee. But my scanners are seeing a few primitive looking bolt throwers atop the walls. Shouldn't do any damage to the trucks, but you don't want to take one of those to your vest."

Boba slid back and opened the truck's rear hatch, before he could proceed any further Itami stopped him.

"Boba wait! Perhaps it would be wiser to let the girls go in front of us, this way the locals know we don't mean any harm."

As if to bolster his idea, a man suddenly yelled down from atop one of the walls, "Who's there!? If you aren't enemies, show yourselves!"

Boba shrugged as he opened one of the other doors to let the girls out, "Job was to make sure everyone comes back safe, having them in front of me puts them in my line of fire. They already know we mean business Itami, three armored vehicles and men garbed in gear hardly makes for a warm salutation."

Itami sighed, there was reason to Boba's words, but this was his mission and he was going to call the shots.

"My decision stands Fett, they go ahead of us. I know you won't hit the girls unless you're trying."

 _Though I'm not so sure about Rory._

The bounty hunter chuckled as he exited the vehicle, "If I didn't know any better I'd say you just tried to talk back to me. Foolish, but brave. You may have some bearing to you yet Lieutenant, very well we play it your way."

 _For now._

Itami sighed and looked back at the girls, "Alright try to make contact with them."

Each of the girls quietly nodded and exited out of the vehicle. As they went towards the front, Itami exited and slowly followed after. He hadn't made it but a few steps forward before Boba called out to him.

"Going unarmed?"

Itami patted his holster on the side and turned to look over his shoulder, "I have my sidearm."

"And if they're out of range? What if you run out of ammo?"

Itami smiled nervously as the bounty hunter approached his side, "I thought you were here to make sure we come back alive."

"I am, and I'll see that job done to the last. But if you had the capacity to defend yourself better, it makes my job a lot easier. It also makes you look like less of an idiot."

 _Right back to square one Lieutenant._

Itami sighed and signaled to his team to stay put inside the vehicles, with that the two men followed closely behind the girls. They were a strange bunch, a mixed bag of people from different time periods and places. If one were to come across them during a casual stroll, they might think they had witnessed an early Halloween.

"So Boba, what do you think?"

"What do I think? Their defenses are sorely lacking."

"Maybe they're afraid?"

"Understandable, but wouldn't you defend an important location with a lot more than a few men and some small static defenses?"

"Well...yes."

"Well, then it seems we agree on one thing, poor defenses. Obviously this place must not mean a great deal after all. Back where I come from if you didn't holster your weapons and answer the proper comm calls? Well, let's just say you weren't coming or going."

 _Unless it's me, then you knew damn well to not even think of trying anything._

As they got closer Boba could see a few loosely garbed men in equally sloppily assembled armor, they manned the bolt throwers and watched the newcomers with curious but confused eyes. Boba stopped just ahead of the front gate, he wanted to be ready to engage should the talks go sour.

"You go ahead Youji, but mind the boiling pit of tar above you. I'll be covering you from here."

Itami sighed and gave Boba a half-hearted thumbs up, "Gee thanks."

The bounty hunter merely shrugged as he eyed the top of the wall, "Don't say I never cared."

With that Itami made took his place ahead of the girls and made his way to the front door. So far it seemed as though they were in the clear, Boba watched as Itami gave the door a series of loud knocks. The knocking continued for a few moments until the door suddenly swung open with enough force to fling Itami back and onto the ground.

"Welcome!"

 _Great another idiot._

A number of things happened in quick succession. First it was discovered that a young red haired woman garbed in white ornately decorated and semi-revealing armor had been the one to knock Itami out. Second the girls had merely stood there and looked at a now unconscious Itami and back at the woman with surprised looks. Finally, Boba had immediately raised his blaster and now had it pointed directly at the woman's head.

"Really? The oldest trick in the book? You'd best hope that was by accident."

The woman stood there motionless as the bounty hunter stared her down, she was too petrified to speak.

Meanwhile, Boba gave Itami a quick scan, thankfully his bio readings were showing him as still alive. In moments, Tuka was upon Itami grabbing his canteen and pouring water over his face in an attempt to wake him up. While that was going on Itami's shoulder-mounted radio began to erupt with a chorus of confused shouting.

Boba shook his head and approached Itami, his blaster aimed at the woman all the while. Kneeling by Itami, he shooed Tuka away and used his non-firing hand to grab Itami's radio.

"This is Fett. The Lieutenant got knocked out by a door, yes a door. Standby."

Boba promptly dropped the radio as he stood up and kicked Itami with the side of his boot, "Wake up, your embarrassing me."

Itami jolted upright and awoke wide-eyed and confused, "W-what happened?"

"An idiot just knocked out an even bigger idiot. I recommend you tell your men what's going on before we have a one sided fight break out."

Itami quickly fumbled for his radio and began to speak in his native tongue to the rest of his team, Boba didn't need to speak the language to know his men were calming down.

As Itami slowly stood up, the woman finally began to speak.

"T-the sky man?"

Boba slowly nodded as he lowered his blaster, "Well, looks like my reputation precedes me. My name is Boba Fett however, and right now the only ones asking questions should be us."

Itami raised his hands and tried to calm the situation down, "Fett stand down, it was an accident. A very convenient accident, but all the same. Now can someone please explain to me what's going on?"

Before the woman could speak, another similarly garbed brown haired girl came forward.

"Impudent fools! This is an affront to the Third Imperial Princess Pina Co Lada!"

Boba scoffed at this remark and cocked his head to the side, "You say that like it means something, what kind of "princess" slams open doors and greets guests armed?"

The woman looked at Boba with scared but brave eyes as she took another step forward, "You will hold your tongue!"

 _Brave even in the face of overwhelming odds, in another world you might've made a fine Mandalorian woman._

"And you will watch yours before I do it for you. You're outgunned right now, odds aren't exactly in your favor."

Boba then proceeded to point to the dragon scales adorning his cloak, "Or would you like to end up like the flame dragon?"

Noticing the scales the woman began to mirror Pina's shocked look, "The sky man? So the rumors were true?"

Boba shook his head and sighed, "What is it with you people and sky man? Yes, I have a jetpack and my name is Boba Fett. As for the rumors, yes they're true and I'm about to make some more if you don't start answering the Lieutenant's questions.

Suddenly a large older man clad in massive gray armor made his way forward and stood between the two women and Boba. He easily dwarfed the bounty hunter by a few feet.

"I am Grey Co Aldo, chief adviser to her highness and The Rose Order of Knights. I am also one of her most accomplished warriors, if you want a fight I will gladly give it to you. Sky man or not."

Boba looked up at the man and regarded him with contempt, "Well, you're a big one. But you know what they say, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. You won't fare any better than anyone else here I assure you."

Grey growled, his hand shook with anger as it stayed wrapped around the hilt for his massive sword. "What was that?!"

Meanwhile, beyond the door, a small crowd of curious villagers began to take shape upon hearing Boba's moniker. They too had heard the ever spreading stories of an armored faceless man who commanded fire and magic, a man who could take to the skies at a whim and best even a mighty flame dragon.

Before the situation could get even more out of hand, Itami stood between Boba the large warrior, and the two shocked women.

"Please everyone, let's just calm down. Boba Fett is with us, he won't bring any harm to you. Right Fett?"

The bounty hunter slowly nodded his gaze never straying from Grey. "Only if they stop irritating me."

Grey didn't take kindly to this, but was promptly stopped by Itami.

"Please!? Now then, we didn't come here for hostilities, we came here to trade and establish friendly communication."

Princess Pina slowly composed herself and sighed, "If it's as you say, however, I'm not the one you should be explaining this to. If you could follow me and my knights, We'll introduce you to the leader of Italica."

With that, the Princess led the group into Italica and into a large courtyard. As the group entered the town's inhabitants gave them a wide berth everywhere they went.

Slowly catching up to Itami, Boba muttered through his helmet's speaker "Where I come from the Empire was once the sole governing body. I'm sure that's also the case for these lands."

Itami turned to face Boba as they continued on their way through Italica's now winding streets, "Once? What happened to it?"

"Someone came along and beat it into submission."

* * *

 _Well, they certainly put more care into this estate than they did the defenses._

Boba raised an eyebrow as Pina, and the other woman led the group to a large and elaborate mansion in the center of Italica. Fountains and carefully tended gardens surrounded the mansion on every side. At its front, a small path led to a stone stairway that stopped just in front of the mansion's ornately carved wooden doors.

As the group made their way inside, the princess began to lead them through a series of long corridors. Artisan crafted tapestries were draped over windows and long carpets of similar make covered the corridors' wooden floors. As the group continued its path, Pina briefed them on the current situation.

"This fortress city, Italica, stands strategically at the intersection of the Tessararia and Appia highways, making it an important commercial hub, too."

Boba shook his head as he walked between Itami and the girls. Rory seemed to notice this and had mimicked the gesture with closed eyes and a smile, much to Boba's annoyance. Meanwhile, a confused Lelei looked at him with curious eyes; she couldn't tell what was going through his head.

 _Could've fooled me._

Suspending his disbelief as just how inept the leadership was for Italica, Boba focused himself as the princess continued.

"For generations, it's been ruled the counts of Formal, Imperial nobility. But when the last count died suddenly, the three daughters he left behind began struggling for dominance."

 _And so the pieces begin to fall apart. Have you people ever heard of contingencies?_

"The eldest and middle sister had already married into other families. They fought over who would be the guardian of the rightful heir, the youngest sister, Myui."

 _I don't like where this is going._

"Then the Empire sent the expeditionary force into the other world. The head of every family was expected to lead their troops into battle there...none returned."

Boba looked over at Itami and muttered, "Idiots, looks like they bit off more than they could chew. Guessing she's talking about the incursion into your world?"

As Itami realized the magnitude of what the princess and Boba were saying, he made a nervous smile. "Yeah, there were a lot of them. But they started this fight, we lost a lot of innocent people that day."

"And you intend to end it, as it should be Lieutenant. A man should never feel remorse for protecting his home from invaders. The _Resol'nare_ calls for the defense of the homeland and its people against any and all transgressors. I would defend _Mandalore_ if I were called upon to do so."

 _Though it's never happened before._

Itami muttered back as he looked at Boba with a raised eyebrow, "The _Resol'nare_? _Mandalore_? What's that?"

Boba shook his head as he returned his gaze to the back of the princess, "A story for another time. Ears sharp, we have information to digest." Itami merely nodded his head and continued to listen as the princess continued.

"As a result, the security situation in Italica deteriorated quickly, the point where defending the city is proving to be difficult now."

 _Well, it all makes sense now. I'm a firm believer in all or nothing, but you people dug your own grave._

Suddenly the group stopped at the end of the hallway and in front of a small door, "Beyond this door lies the current ruler of Italica and Countess of Formal, Myui."

Boba and Itami nodded and with that Pina opened the door, the sight that awaited inside had surprised all of the newcomers.

Atop a small ornate chair sat a little girl, dressed in a pink dress she looked at them with child's eyes. Boba guessed she couldn't be any older than thirteen at least. His mood dropped when Lelei whispered from behind him.

"I believe the Countess turns eleven this year."

Boba had seen rulers come in many shapes, sizes, and ages, but this? A child to lead a city by herself? Where were her advisers? Boba doubted she knew anything of war or what it took to manage a settlement. Shaking his head he muttered to an equally shocked Itami.

"This world continues to irritate me."

* * *

On either side of a small table, Itami, the girls, and the Imperials sat and began to discuss the current situation. Meanwhile, the Countess sat at the head of the table. Her eyes were filled with doubt. Pina leaned forward in her chair as she looked Itami directly in the eyes.

"While she is the head of the family, it's too much to ask her to lead an army. As such I'm taking command in her stead."

Meanwhile, Boba leaned against a nearby wall as delegations continued between Itami, the girls, and the Imperials. He shook his head as maintained a steady grip on his blaster, throughout the conversation the Countess had begun to regularly give him nervous glances. No doubt she too had heard of him.

At one point she had stared at him for such a long time that he had slowly nodded making her almost jump out of her seat. No doubt she thought he was some sort of automaton.

 _Another orphan, this one put in a position of leadership. That's a big burden._

"Currently, we've been under constant harassment by bandits. I sent out a request for help to my knights, but I give them two days at best before they arrive. We are undermanned, you say you've come here to trade and I can understand that and would happily oblige. But we need help."

Itami nodded as he leaned forward, "On behalf of the JSDF my men and I will happily oblige to help in your defense. Where I come from, we believe in fair trade, a favor for a favor. We have the munitions necessary to repel any attacks the bandits attempt."

Suddenly the heads of every person present turned to face Boba as Pina spoke, "This is good news, but what of him?"

"Boba Fett is a bounty hunter working for us. He's been contracted to aid us whenever possible, by extension he'll be fighting on our side here as well."

Suddenly Pina's warrior slammed her fist on the table, "Mercenary scum! His kind can't be trusted, how do we know he won't turn on us should the bandits offer him more pay? His is a loyalty that only follows gold."

Before Itami could retort Boba had already begun to speak, his helmet gazing directly at the girl.

"What's your name girl?"

"H-hamilton."

"Hamilton, got it. Now then Hamilton, how many fights have you been in?"

Hamilton sat there for a moment as she tried to think of an answer that would look impressive. She never had the chance.

"I'm going to guess and say that up until you came here, you were nothing more than an honor guard, a toy soldier. So let me tell you something toy soldier. I've been running jobs since you were but a baby, you and the rest of your posers. I can tell by your attitude that you have something prove, you want to be noticed as a real warrior. Well, you're not, so before you go making baseless assumptions I suggest you shut your mouth. If you're going to start a shoot off be it words or otherwise, you'd best be prepared to be the last one standing."

Itami looked at Boba and back at a now mortified Hamilton and Pina, "Boba, I think that's enou-"

"No, I intend to finish Itami. Class is in session and I'm the teacher."

Boba returned his gaze to Hamilton as he continued his verbal assault.

"You don't know anything about me except for some rumors and old wives tales, but I can already look at you and know everything I need to know. Comes with the territory of being a professional, professionals don't go against their contract or their word. They also don't open their mouths unless they need to, something you've failed to do. So believe me, when I say, all of you would have been long dead if I wasn't among that privileged and fortunate few. I didn't make it this far by being a spineless swindler."

Silence hung over the room, once again Boba had been denied the respect that befitted his reputation and position. Once again he had to make someone pay the price for slandering his honor. Itami knew that were this anywhere else, Hamilton would have probably been shot then and there.

Just when the room's atmosphere had taken a turn for the worst, a small window of kindness opened up and from the most unlikely of people.

Lelei.

"Boba is my friend, when he first came to this world it was my master and I he approached first. Though we didn't understand each other, he offered peace and cooperation from the moment he stumbled upon my master's cottage. He also saved my life twice, once from a rampant horse in Coda, and the second time when the fire dragon attacked us. Though he is a rough man and his tongue can be sharp, he never goes back on his word and he's never shown any signs of threatening us."

 _You're way too trusting Lelei. But I thank you for it, few have ever come close enough to earn my respect. I feel as though you've already begun your first steps._

Boba slowly nodded at Lelei, had she seen his face she would've seen the small smile forming at the corner of his mouth. Meanwhile, Itami took this moment to help clear up the air.

"What she says is right, though I can't say my first meeting him was as pleasant. When he gives his word, he sticks to it, even if his word isn't so kind at times."

 _Only because you do stupid things._

Before anyone could get another word in, it was Rory's turn to talk and she made this apparent as she clasped her hands together.

"Boba is a magnificent warrior, he's relentless, ruthless, and above all unforgiving. He's also...captured my heart. I doubt your bandits will be ready for him should they show up again."

Rory then turned her head towards Boba, her eyes lit up with a smile, looking for the same praise that Lelei had received. The only reaction she got was him slowly shaking his head.

 _Psychopath._

When it was finally Tuka's turn to talk, or rather what she thought was her turn. She merely looked at Boba and back at the Imperials and nodded her head, her voice barely a whisper.

"Everything they say is true."

Throughout the previous delegations and subsequent talking from the other people present, Rory wasn't the only person that Boba had been keeping his eyes on. He watched the elf as her eyes seemed to wander and occasionally freeze entirely. Her face seemed to be stuck in a perpetual state of being lost, to say it unnerved him was an understatement.

He understood Rory, she was just a very potential threat. Tuka on the other hand, she could be a potential liability. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, her father was dead. Boba had long come to terms with his father's death, in time, she would have to as well. The question remained how she would come to terms with it, and how she would continue to live after that.

Having been thoroughly convinced that Boba wouldn't flip the proverbial script and kill them all, Hamilton and Pina exchanged looks with the countess before returning their gaze to Itami.

"Then we are in agreement, we would like it if you, your men and Boba Fett protected the Southern gate. We will have forces occupying the Eastern gate, should we need your assistance we will call upon you."

Itami nodded and began relaying information to his handset; meanwhile; the girls got up and made their way to the door with Itami following behind. Before Boba could go to exit the room, Myui's voice called out to him.

"Boba Fett?"

Boba promptly turned on his heels as regarded the countess, "Yes?"

"T-thank you."

"For what?"

"For agreeing to help us in our time of need."

"That would be Itami you should be thanking, I'm just doing my job."

"W-well all the same, it's good to know that the fabled Sky Man is here to assist us. Your prowess will help save many lives."

Boba slowly shook his head as he took a step forward, "I'm not a hero and I've never thought of myself as one. Italica will still be standing by tomorrow morning, I can promise you this."

The Countess cocked her head to the side in curiosity as she regarded the strange armored man from another world. "You are an odd man Boba Fett, many warriors have come and gone, but none has ever come upon this estate such as yourself. I'm no warrior, but I know talent when I see it."

Boba merely nodded at the countess before turning his gaze towards Hamilton and Pina, "As for you lot, when the killing starts you and your men would be wise to stay out of my way. I'll handle the rest."

The two women merely nodded, but before Boba could leave there was still one last thing to be said.

"Boba, I apologize for Hamilton's outbursts. Constant fighting has brought us all down to our last legs, I assure you she meant no ill wishes."

Boba made his way to the door and stopped, his helmet slowly turning to look over his shoulder. "The first step on the road to becoming a professional is to master your mind. Only then will everything else fall into place."

With that, the enigmatic bounty hunter left the room.

* * *

In the afternoon's setting sun, Boba, the three girls, and RCT3 sat posted along Italica's southern wall. Shortly after the team was given its task, RCT3's trucks rolled in and set up shop in the courtyard now below them. Since then it had been a relatively quiet afternoon.

"Sir, scouts!"

Boba and Itami approached Kuwahara as he looked down the road leading to the southern gate. Sure enough, they could make out three men on horseback just down the road.

"I can't say for sure, but it appears as though their main force is behind them. About 500 or 600 I'd say."

Boba zoomed in with his helmet's rangefinder as he began to target each of the scouts. If there was thing Boba hated, it was being watched, and it just so happened he had a solution to that problem.

"Lieutenant, your rifle."

Itami and Kuwahara looked at Boba with surprised faces as the bounty hunter slung his blaster.

"My rifle? What for?"

"No time to explain Itami. Just do it, I can assure you the fragile balance of power isn't going to be tipped over me seeing a slug thrower."

"Slugthrower?"

"Ballistic weapon, firearm, whatever you want to call it. They're all the same thing."

Unslinging his Type 64, Itami handed the rifle over to Boba's outstretched hand. As the bounty hunter grabbed it by the barrel, he promptly shouldered it and began checking it. Meanwhile, the rest of RCT3 and the three girls watched with curious eyes.

Boba handled it as if he'd known the weapon his entire life, quickly finding the mag release and removing the magazine. He checked the rounds in the magazine for a moment before promptly slamming it back into its waiting receiver. Promptly racking its charging handle back he approached an adjacent column and rested the barrel atop it.

For a few moments he adjusted its iron sights and took a modified shooter's stance, then he flicked the safety off.

In what felt like an instant, five shots rang out. The rifle's retort echoed loudly as the shots rang out in quick succession, causing everyone and some nearby birds to jump.

When the smoke cleared from the weapons barrel, Itami and the rest of the team looked down the road. Two bandits and their mounts now lay dead in the middle of the road, the third pinned under his horse and struggling to free himself.

Boba looked up from the sights, flicked the weapon's safety back to its original position and passed it back to a now confused and somewhat irritated Itami.

"Decent marksman's weapon, little on the heavy side though wouldn't be caught dead lugging this around for too long."

Shouldering the weapon Itami took a step forward, "What the hell was that for? Couldn't you, at least, give us a warning?!"

Itami's irritation promptly stopped as Boba unslung his blaster.

"Making our job easier, give me a moment."

Before Itami or anyone else could say anything Boba had already engaged his jetpack and had flown over to where the bandits were.

"Sir, this man is clearly unhinged! How could you let him do something like that? This makes us look like mindless barbarians!"

Tomita slammed his fist against a nearby wall as he yelled, his anger ever apparent in his voice. "I've taken his cocksure and arrogant attitude as best I can. But I draw the line here!"

Neither Itami nor anyone else responded they were too busy watching the event taking place down the road. As Tomita looked down the road, he soon understood why.

Holding the helpless man in the air by his collar, Boba began relentlessly beating him down. There wasn't a place on the bandit's body that hadn't received a swift clenched fist.

This went on for a few minutes until Boba promptly threw him back down on the ground and pointed down the road. The bandit looked at him and back at the wall for a few moments. Suddenly he began to crawl away away for a few feet and broke off into a run, he didn't make it far before Boba shot him in the leg, his blaster's shriek echoing all the way back to the wall. Forced to limp, the bandit made his way down the road until he was out of sight. Once this was done Boba promptly flew back to the wall, as he landed and dusted himself off he looked at Itami and the others.

"Kuwahara you were correct. The enemy is numbering at least 600 based off what that man was able to tell me."

"Fett, explain yourself!"

Boba slowly turned his helmet towards Tomita, the Sergeant's hands firmly grasping his rifle, his eyes glaring at Boba with anger. Boba shook his head and slowly took a few steps towards the sergeant, the grip on his blaster as casual as ever. Meanwhile, the rest of RCT3 watched with wide eyes, unsure of what to do and how the situation would play out.

"Sergeant...If I didn't know any better, and I usually do. I'd say you're thinking some very hostile thoughts right now."

"What you just did was unnecessary, it gave away our position and more than likely spooked the town's inhabitants. We're here to help and reach out, not be looked at as mindless barbarians!"

Itami had taken a step forward to calm the situation only to be stopped by Boba's outstretched hand and a slow shake of his helmet. Itami merely nodded and returned back to his original place.

"Sergeant Tomita was it? Those bandits already knew we were up here. They have something called a Siren with them, whatever that is."

"A siren is a species of half bird half human creatures, this particular one must have some sort of magical potential if she's able to spot us."

Boba turned to face Lelei as she finished giving her lesson, "Well, that explains that. Thank you Lelei, that creature should be a nice bonus for this job. Now back to the topic at hand, Tomita, as much as I hate explaining myself it seems as though I'll have to. Otherwise, we could just settle this problem another way.."

Tomita stared Boba down with hate filled eyes as the bounty hunter stood there motionlessly.

"Judging by how you're just standing there quietly, I suppose you've chosen the former. Well then, tell me have you ever waged psychological warfare? Ah, who am I kidding of course you haven't. Where I come from fear is a powerful tool, more powerful than any weapon. A battle can be won earlier or prevented altogether once you have power over your enemy's mind. What I just did was instill fear into that man. Hopefully, he does the same for his fellows, well if he makes it that is. Either way, I sent him to deliver a message to give to his comrades. Do you want to know what it was?"

"What did you tell him?"

"That if they set foot anywhere near this town? I'll kill every last one of them."

Tomita and the rest of RCT3 stood there a moment, for all his violent tendencies, the man had a point. What he had told that bandit wasn't just an idle threat either, something told the men and women of RCT3 that he was more than capable of doing so.

Meanwhile, Rory had been giggling the entire time, "He's right you know, fear is a powerful weapon."

 _That's about the most you and I can agree on._

"All the same Fett, in the future try to warn us about these things. We're a team, if we want to make any progress, we need to communicate better."

Boba turned to face Itami, "You're absolutely right Lieutenant."

Itami stood there flabbergasted he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"I am?"

"Yes." Suddenly Boba reached into a thigh mounted pouch and took out a small silver rectangular device. Passing it to a confused Itami he began to explain its function.

"Two-way communicator, has a direct link to my helmet and vice versa. Should we get separated during the fight that's about to go down which I'm sure we will, you can use that to relay any information to me."

As Itami eyed the device's various buttons, Boba pointed to one on the device's side, "Press that to talk."

"Uh, _hai_."

"Well then back to the waiting game, I'm sure our new friends will be here any hour."

As Boba nodded and went to take up a position down the wall, Tomita called out to him one more time.

"Fett, I thought you said your message would frighten the bandits! Why are you saying they'll be here now?"

Boba stopped halfway towards his destination, not even so much as looking over his shoulder.

"I did, now they'll do one of two things. Either they'll heed the message and give up the plunder, which I highly doubt. Or they'll get so angry that one man could threaten an entire force, that they'll come here looking for me. That lust for vengeance will make them sloppy, taking advantage of sloppy performers is another one of my tactics. A professional keeps a calm head in the face of any adversity and I highly doubt they're professionals."

With that Boba made his way down the wall, Lelei following close behind him. As the mysterious bounty hunter continued out of earshot Tomita turned to face Kuwahara and Itami.

"That man...I just don't understand him. It's like he wants to keep playing mind games with us."

Kuwahara took off his helmet and ran a hand through his hair, his gray hair faded with years of service to Japan.

"Nobody does Akira, but that's just it. Once we understand him and accept why he does what he does, I have a feeling he'll begin to respect us more."

"Yeah, well what's so special about that girl? So far she's the only he's been giving any sort of respect to!"

"That girl was the first person he met in this strange new world, she led him to civilization, which in turn led him to us, which in turn might very well lead him to a way back to his own world."

The three men turned to face Kurokawa as she addressed them, her night vision goggles stowed above her helmet.

"I think he's thankful to her in a way, she doesn't seem to care what he does or why he does it. She just accepts him for who he is and is curious to learn more about him. He saved her twice, that's enough to for him to be a friend in her eyes."

The three men merely nodded in agreement before returning to their posts, whatever the chip on Boba's shoulder was, they'd get to that later.

Itami sighed as he took off his helmet, the sun was starting to set and they had a long night ahead. As he fussed with it, Rory giggled as she approached him.

"I can help."

* * *

 _Nightfall..._

"Boba?"

"Yes, Lelei?"

"What's your world like?"

Boba held his blaster into the air as he pointed to the night sky with his free hand, "Not a world Lelei, _**that.**_ "

Lelei looked up at the stars with curious eyes as she began to understand what he meant. "The stars?"

"Yes child, the stars. Where I come from I travel them, there's more than one world where I come from. They're called planets, systems. All part of the known galaxy."

 _I suppose Space Man would be more applicable, but Kurata is an idiot so we won't use that term. Sky Man works fine for me._

Lelei cocked her head to the side in curiosity as she copied the words he said, "Planets? Sis-tems?"

"Yes, this world could be considered a planet. In a system there's usually a group of planets, some planets are just like this one and capable of sustaining life, others are nothing more than giant dust balls. In turn, the systems make up the galaxy."

Lelei scratched her head as she maintained a steady grip on her staff with the other, this was all very confusing to her. Boba noticed this and chuckled. "Ah, science isn't a thing here I'm guessing. I wouldn't stress it too much, it'll be a long, long time before you ever need to worry about any of that."

 _Probably not in your lifetime._

Lelei nodded as she leaned against the column Boba was next to, "Boba? Does magic exist where you come from?"

The bounty hunter slowly nodded his head, not removing his gaze from the stars. "More or less, but the people who use it are nowhere near as bountiful as they used to be."

 _Most of whom I've dealt with._

At this remark Lelei's eyes went wide, her questions flying out in rapid succession. "Really? Are they sorcerers like me? What kind of magic do they use? Is your strange weapon magical?"

Boba slowly put a hand out to calm her down, "Slowly child if I explain too much of it, your brain might get overloaded. So we'll start with the basics. Where I come from, magic is known as The Force."

"The Force?"

"Yes, hmm how do I put this? Well, the Force is supposed to be a sort of energy that surrounds all life in the galaxy. Some people have learned how to manipulate this energy and use it to do a variety of things. They're known as Force users."

"Force users?"

"Yes, and they can do all sorts of things Lelei. They can move objects with but a thought, persuade people's minds, there are even those who could cheat death itself."

 _If you can believe all that jargon. No one ever cheated death when I was involved, except for you Solo. Strange case..._

Lelei stood there for a moment as she digested the information. "So are these force users good people?"

 _Good is a subjective term, and there were far more bad ones than good ones._

"Some, there are two groups of force users. The Jedi and the Sith, the Jedi believe in using the Force for knowledge and the preservation of life. Then there are the Sith, they use the force to conquer. They believe in the idea that might is right."

 _Which isn't entirely wrong._

"Are you a Jedi? Or a Sith?"

For the first time since he came here, Boba had actually come very close to laughing. To think that he was a force user, though he had to give her credit. He certainly had tools that looked like magical items.

"Neither, but I have fought a few. Even worked for some, the devices I use are known as technology, weapons, and gadgets. They're meant to make things easier for people."

 _Such as a surprise wrist laser when someone thinks I'm disarmed._

"So is what the JayEssDeeEff use known as technology?"

Boba turned around and nodded at the intelligent girl, "Precisely, though it's at a much lower level than what I'm used to."

"Lower level?"

"Yes, you should be thankful that it isn't any army invading from where I come from. There wouldn't even be a fight, just a one sided massacre all the way towards whatever the capital here is."

 _The Empire would have rolled right over this world without a second thought._

Lelei stood there silently for a while as she let his words sink in, a place where there were more people like him. It was an intimidating thought to say the least.

"Boba, earlier you mentioned your father. You never answered Itami's question, was he a bounty hunter too?"

Boba froze for a moment, her question had caught him completely off guard. Leaning against the wall, he cradled his blaster.

"Why do you ask so many questions Lelei?"

The young sorceress looked up at him with innocent eyes, had she done something wrong? Boba shook his head and went back to looking out over the wall.

"Yes, he was. And the best too, his name was Jango."

"Jango Fett?"

"Yes."

"What was he like?"

Boba slung his rifle and reached up, releasing the seal on his helmet he took it off and turned to face Lelei. "Just like this."

Lelei once again cocked her head in puzzlement, "What do you mean?"

 _I'm a clone of my father, an exact genetic replica._

"He looked like me Lelei, he and I are practically indistinguishable. Everything you know about me is all you need to know about him."

Boba promptly put his helmet back on, slung his blaster and went back to looking out over the wall. Things were quiet for a few moments until Lelei asked one last question. The one Boba had been asked one too many a time during his years.

"What happened to him?"

Boba's grip on his blaster tightened as he recounted that day, the moment that would come to define him forever.

"He...was killed. One day his job finally caught up to him, and his luck finally ran out."

 _Right in front of me...by **him.**_

Boba felt Lelei's small hand touch his arm, "I'm sorry...I shouldn't have asked."

Boba shook his head as he turned around, taking a kneel in front of the young girl. "Don't be, once your words leave your mouth, there's no taking them back. His death is what set me on the path I'm on now, this helmet? This helmet and my face belong to him, so in a way he never truly left me."

Boba extended his hand and ran it through Lelei's hair, her eyes closing as she enjoyed it.

"Just promise me this child, never rely on your magic. One day you'll fight someone who can overcome it, the man who killed my father? His name was Mace Windu, a Jedi. Though I never got to enact my revenge, I did eventually track him down and fight him. All his tricks, all his force abilities? I was able to keep up with them Lelei, him and many others who I'd go to fight later on. Which is why when I look at you sometimes I'm reminded of the Jedi. Respect your powers and be humbled by them. No one will ever fault you for that."

As the bounty hunter stood up he went back to looking out over the wall once more. Things were quiet for a while once more, until Boba heard _**it**_.

The ping from one the scout droids he had sent out earlier.

As information began to be fed to his helmet, he turned on his heels and approached Itami and the rest of RCT3.

"Youji they're here. All 600 of them."

* * *

 **Mandalorian Words and Their Translations:**

 _Nayc Ijaat-_ "No honor"

 _Gar ash'amur jii-_ "You die now"

 _Udes o'r naak verda Ni Kelir gra'tuar gar-_ "Rest in peace warriors, I will avenge you."


	6. I Warned You

**So it seems as though I may worried those who enjoy Rory's character. Out of all the trends in my reviews, I've seen this the most, so it looks as though I have to explain myself.  
**

 **I'm a firm believer in sticking to character personality. Fan fiction or not there are certain lines one must never cross when dealing with well established characters, or rather in Boba Fett's case, ones that have often conflicting sources of canon.**

 **Boba has a contingency for everyone he meets, that's how he's survived this long. Think about how often he's been betrayed, how often he's had to hold his own against powerhouses. Rory is an unknown variable, a very powerful unknown variable and Boba hates unknown variables.**

 **Being in control of the situation is how he gets the job done. How else do you think he beat Vader at Maryx Minor?(questionable and obviously not canon, but it can be used as a source in AU.) How else did he beat the Jango Fett hologram used on him by Rahmm Kota and PROXY?**

 **It's no damn surprise the man had a nightmare thinking the creepy goth child wielding the massive halberd would go rogue, it's called preparedness and a lack of trust.  
**

 **All that been said, relax, see where the story goes. There will be a lessen on the tension, but only when Rory proves herself to him. Even still that's no guarantee, we're talking about a man here who practically brain dumped Sintas and Ailyn Vel after the "incident", and the same man who claimed Celibacy in the story "The Last One Standing"(Which would contradict Sintas, but we've already established that Star Wars has very bad continuity).  
**

 **There are two kinds of fans who read crossovers, one for each of the universes being represented, to kick one's known image for their favorite character for the sake of someone else's to be treated "fair" is ridiculous.**

 **Now that that is out of the way, feedback has been great other besides that. To know that I actually AM representing Boba well is a good pat on the back enough for me. Also glad that the fight scenes and general interaction are pleasing to you guys.  
**

 **As for Lelei...she's way younger than Boba. Doesn't mean she may not be developing something for him, but you can be almost 100% certain Boba isn't going to pair with someone that young. Probably why he isn't attracted to Rory at all either, even though we can be sure Itami is.**

 **Now for something fun and off topic, I was supposed to start College Monday. Somehow the snow keeps delaying it and it's looking as though I won't be starting until Friday now. Basically that means more time to work on this and my other story.**

 **Lucky break? Or cruel fate?**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: I Warned You  
**

" _Honor is what separates us from all the aruteiise of the galaxy. It's our honor that binds us to one another as brothers and sisters, honor that keeps us calm and true in battle. It is honor alone that has led us to victory a thousand times, and it is honor that will lead us to victory a thousand times again. Our honor is what defines us, what guides us, what molds our lives into something beautiful and worthy of showing the galaxy. And those without honor are dar'manda, lost souls, unworthy of living but too pathetic to die._ "

Gali Messada, _Mandalore the Poet_ , known for his exceptional oratory skills.

 _The sun begins to rise as morning arrives._

"Lieutenant, not complaining or anything, but some extra firepower would be appreciated."

 ** _The sound of a man screaming in terror in the background_**

"These idiots are stubborn, what little good it's doing them. What's the status of the air support?"

 _ **An explosion.**_

"I've already made contact with the 401st, air support is en route and should be here momentarily. We're currently making our way to you now!"

"Both of you better be, Scanners are picking up an unusual energy reading from just outside the courtyard. Looks like your "Siren"'s here, Fett out"

 _ **Another man cries out in the background,"He can't be stopped! We must fle-"**_

Itami sighed as he finished keying out of his radio, Boba was pissed off and he could tell. As the Humvee continue to take sharp turns through Italica's winding streets, Itami looked out his window at the rooftops.

 _He's going to be even more pissed off once **she** shows up._

Rory was still well ahead of them, her speed making her appear almost like a blur as she effortlessly jumped from roof to roof. There was nothing childlike about her, Itami was sure of it now, hell the entire team was sure of it now.

As the truck took another sharp turn Itami reached into the glove compartment and pulled out a flare gun. Leaning out of his window Itami fired a flare into the air to mark their position to the inbound air support, last thing anyone needed was friendly fire.

The last thing anyone would want was to accidentally shoot at Boba, there wouldn't be any room for an apology there.

As Itami went back inside the Humvee's cabin, he unhooked his NVGs.

"Kuribiyashi, take off your V8's"

"Why?"

Tomita kept his head forward as he answered Shino's question, "Because you'll break them."

As their NVGs were stowed, Itami checked his rifle and racked it back to ensure it was properly loaded.

"What kind of a man is he? What kind of a man can take on an army by himself? There's so much hate in him, so much anger. Yet...it's like he bottles it up and focuses it on the job ahead."

Tomita looked at Itami with a look of concern as he asked the question, pausing to yank the steering wheel to the right through another sharp turn.

"I don't know Akira, I really don't. I know as much about him as you do, but I do know this. Once we get there? Things are going to get ugly, _**really**_ ugly. So check your shots. And Kuribiyashi, for god's sake, save the CQB for another time."

Shino pouted as she received the order, Close Quarters Combat was her favorite form of combat. One she greatly excelled at.

Itami looked out the window one last time and watched as Rory leaped and spun through the air out of sight, they had arrived.

As the Humvee arrived at one of the main stairways leading to the courtyard, Tomita applied the brakes and the vehicle shrieked to a halt. As the trio piled out Itami ordered them to affix bayonets.

Bad idea.

In moments Shino gave a war cry and went to join the battle in the courtyard, bounding down the steps with her rifle forward.

Now Boba was going to have another reason to be pissed off.

Itami nodded to Tomita and the pair advanced down the stairs and behind the barricade set up by the villagers.

It took all the willpower within them to comprehend the scene in front of them.

Scattered about the courtyard were corpses, corpses everywhere. Most of them were indistinguishable from the terrible wounds and dismemberment inflicted upon them. Meanwhile, the screaming of men being destroyed piecemeal continued towards the center and as the pair looked onward, they soon saw the source.

Boba, Rory, and Shino fighting together.

* * *

"Boba! I've come to fight by your side! Let me prove my affection for you on the battlefield!"

Boba removed his boot from a bandit's caved in face as he looked into the air, Rory came giggling as she somersaulted to the ground.

As the Apostle landed beside him, she giggled as she looked at some of his handiwork from earlier. Bandit corpses littered the ground everywhere, the bounty hunter himself covered in blood.

"Oh my...perhaps you didn't need help after all."

"No, I just don't need yours."

As the two began to go back and forth, the world around them seemed to pause. Spectators both Bandit and villager alike had been awed by Boba's performance earlier, now Rory Mercury herself had joined him?

It was a terrible, terrible day to be an enemy.

Before their bickering could continue Boba promptly aimed his blaster at Rory and fired.

Only to hit a large bandit that had broke into a charge at her from behind. As Rory spun around to see the result of said shot, she quickly glanced back at Boba.

"You really do care!"

"Couldn't be further from the truth, but I'm sure Itami wants you alive though! So if you're going to be here, watch your back and don't get in my way! Where is Itami by the way!?"

"He should be here any moment!"

Rory nodded and hefted her halberd, by now she had noticed the strange glowing green blade in his other hand. She paused to stare at it for a few moments, everything about that blade was unnatural, yet not of a magical kind. It hummed and seemed to make the air shimmer around it as Boba raised it up to get into a stance.

"Stop gawking, we have an audience to attend to!"

"Right you are!"

By now the bandits had once again been whipped into a frenzy. This siege was all or nothing if they failed here there wouldn't be anywhere for them to go back to. Apostle and the relentless warrior or not, they needed to achieve victory here.

So with yells of defiance, they charged at the two, charged to their doom.

Although the pair were anything but friends, they fought with the same sort of familiarity. Anything Rory couldn't reach was promptly blown up or otherwise shot up by Boba. Occasionally they would even fight shoulder to shoulder, their blade swings almost choreographed as they charged forward into the thick of the bandits.

Not the strongest warrior or the most accurate archer could stop the pair, they were an unending storm of death.

"To your right idiot!"

Boba holstered quickly holstered his pistol and tossed a detonator into a group of shield soldiers who had attempted to box Rory in, the apostle giggling as she proceeded to finish them off.

"Like I said, you do care!"

"And like I said, I really don't!"

Throughout the fight, Boba had been recording Rory's movements via his helmet. The way she utilized her halberd, the way she moved, the way her arrogance betrayed her situational awareness. All of this would prove useful if the time came for him to put her down, something that would prove to be quite a challenge having seen what he saw so far.

She was strong, very strong, and for all his pride he respected strength when he saw it. But strength meant nothing without cause or purpose.

But there was someone who was about to join the fight who had plenty of both the former and latter.

Just as Boba had raised his pistol at another bandit's face, the target in question had been promptly skewered and hefted into the air. The kill belonged to Shino, and she was far from done.

Her rifle roared as she emptied some of her magazine into the bandit, she then promptly dropped the bandit's now limp corpse and proceeded to engage in CQB with some others. She was good, very good. Every dodge, parry, and rifle burst was systematic. She moved with the speed and intensity of a well-trained soldier.

Something Boba could definitely appreciate.

Now that, that's a woman. Still, let's see if she can keep up.

Until she blocked a downward sword strike with her rifle, promptly dispatching the perpetrator with a series of shots from her side arm. What had caused Boba to roll his eyes was the fact that said sword strike had unhinged a critical component to her rifle, rendering it functionally useless.

 _Controlled chaos, never be so absorbed in dispatching the enemy that you forget to respect your gear and it's limitations. All the same, she's the closest to a Mandalorian woman I've met yet._

As Shino looked at her now broken rifle, she heard Boba's voice call out to her. He skid to her side, putting his back against hers.

"Not bad, but you still have some learning to do!"

Shino pressed hers against Boba's as they continued to fire their weapons at the encircling bandits, providing covering fire for Rory as she continued to cut men down.

"Well, maybe when this is over you can teach me!"

Boba angled his body to deflect an arrow meant for Shino, promptly gunning down the archer responsible.

"Perhaps, where's your idiot Lieutenant?!"

As if to answer his question Boba heard the sounds of automatic rifle fire, he didn't have to look to see the source. Itami and Tomita had joined the fight, providing covering fire from behind the barricade.

Before Boba could say anything else, he heard them.

Rotors, the sounds of heavy cannons, and rockets.

The 401st had arrived. There was still one more threat to be neutralized, however. Promptly starting a comm line Boba patched through to Itami.

"Tell your copters to watch their fire, I'm going after the siren!"

There was a moment of silence over the net before he heard the sounds of Itami fumbling with the comm device.

"Roger! Oh and Fett? If it's not too much of hassle, try to bring the Siren back in one piece!"

Boba rolled his eyes as he began to engage his jetpack, "Only if it doesn't put up too much of a fight."

With that, Boba lifted off the ground with a roar, leaving Shino and Rory to deal with the bandits. As he flew over the courtyard's wall he watched as a few of the copters bobbed and weaved out of his way, their weaponry cutting down bandits everywhere. This battle was over, now it was just a matter of clean up.

Suddenly his scanner locked onto the siren's signature.

"There you are! Now let's see if you put up a fight!"

With that, he flew towards his latest target.

* * *

Myuute Luna Sires, couldn't believe it. They were losing, and worst yet, they were losing in the worst kind of way. Everything had been going so well earlier, the siege was unhindered and the wall to Italica had been breached. Her magic having stopped any sort of retaliation from archers manning the walls, but then everything had shifted in an instant.

 _ **He**_ came, just like he said he would.

From the moment she had heard the screams of terror and sounds she had never heard before coming from within Italica, she knew they had angered someone or something.

Boba Fett.

She had seen the wounded scout return from Italica's eastern wall, heard him talk about the strange armored man who had single-handedly defeated him and his fellows. She had heard the warning clear as day too, that every one of them was going to die if they attacked Italica.

None of her fellows believed it, laughing as they killed the scout and placed his severed head atop one of their spears for his cowardice. Deep down, though, Myuute did, and now here they were paying the price for not heeding the warning.

Now strange iron Pegasi were flying throughout the air and destroying their army. None were spared and none could fight back. She watched as the Pegasi let loose roars of terrible destructive power, giant mounds of earth were thrown into the air and screaming men with it. Others weren't so lucky, they were torn to pieces by what looked like sparks glowing through the air.

Myuute was terrified, terrified of what lay ahead for her, terrified for her life, and more importantly, she regretted ever joining these bandits. So she did what she had to do, she tried to run away.

"Just where do you think you're going?"

Myuute froze in her tracks, her talons having barely lifted off the ground as she heard the cold grating voice. As she slowly turned her head around, she saw him, she finally came face to face with the name she prayed wouldn't find her.

Boba Fett, he stood there before her, covered in blood, his face covered by a sinister looking helmet, and wielding a green ethereal blade in one of his hands. In his other he held a strange silver wand-like object, he stood there like a statue as he continued.

"You must be the siren, I confess I thought you'd be more intimidating. All I see here is a girl who got herself into one hell of a bad situation."

As the battle continued to rage around them, Myuute stood there paralyzed with fear.

"S-stay away!"

Boba took a step forward.

"No, I'm here to collect."

"Just let me go!"

Another step.

"No, nobody escapes."

"P-please have mercy!"

Another step.

"All out of mercy."

By now he had gotten so close that he towered over Myuute, his helmet looking down at her, piercing her very soul. As she raised her hands to utter an incantation, her face exploded with pain as Boba smacked her with the back of the strange wand like device, causing her to fall to the ground.

As Myuute looked up at the face of her doom, she closed her eyes and made peace with the spirits.

"Do your worst Boba Fett."

"You couldn't handle it."

As Myuute opened her eyes she noticed that the green ethereal blade had dissipated, Boba stood over her as he returned the wand to a pouch of some sort.

"Your friends won't live to see another day, but you just might. The job was to bring you back alive, so I ask you this. Will you cooperate or will I have to force you?"

Myuute lay there as she looked up at Boba, the sounds of the battle still continuing all around them, the screams of the other bandits piecing the air as they were destroyed. She didn't dare want to find out what forcing her meant, but she also didn't know if there was a fate worse than death waiting for at Italica.

"Will...will they kill me?"

Boba slowly shook his head, "I doubt my client will allow that, but you still haven't answered my question."

Myuute once again lay there in silence, Boba had indeed honored his word before even if it meant a great deal of death and suffering. Perhaps he would do so again.

"I...I yield."

"Good choice."

And so Myuute Luna Sires accepted defeat, a terrible defeat, but she was alive. That had to amount to something.

* * *

 _Sometime later..._

As the battle came to a close, Pina watched atop one of the walls as the strange new sights before her continued to fly through the air, the bandit hordes defeated and scattered around Italica.

Smoke rose from the ground as small fires were lit from the fields, caused by the terrible power brought to bear.

They had won, but at what cost? Italica was secure, but now it belonged to someone far greater and far more powerful than the Empire or the bandits.

As the sounds of the wounded and the dying echoed throughout the area, she heard Boba's voice from behind her.

"I told you."

Pina turned around and watched as a blood stained Boba made his way to her side, his armor shining in the light of the rising sun as he held his weapon cradled in his arms. He watched the sight in front of her as the iron Pegusi continued to fly around, some disgorging large amounts of soldiers.

"Now, I'm not well versed in the ways of politics, but I do think your Empire has gotten itself into a fight it has no chance of winning."

Pina turned to face Boba as he continued, "It would be in your best interest to cooperate with them, or you could just be destroyed like the bandits here."

Before she could reflect on what he said, Boba made his way towards one of the steps leading to the wall. Pina called out to him.

"Tell me Boba Fett, have you come here to destroy us?"

The bounty hunter didn't turn his head as he responded, "No, but I didn't come here to make the world a better place either. I didn't have a choice in the matter, you want a hero? Go talk to Itami."

And with that he disappeared down the stairs, leaving a confused Pina to stand there in silence and confusion.

* * *

 **Alright so definitely a shorter one, no argument there, but to squeeze in the negotiations afterward would feel odd and disrupt the flow and mood this chapter is meant to convey. It's the conclusion to the fight. That been said, I'll probably go ahead and power through the next one.  
**


	7. Who I Am

**Hope all of you are doing good out there, I know I'm swamped with the new found responsibilities of college life, but here I am trucking on.**

 **Feedback has been surprising, I mean this with great sincerity, Star Wars (IMO) demands the utmost in respect and knowledge if you dare to call yourself a fan for it. Boba Fett? Doubly so, which tells me you all agree with his representation so far, which brings to my next topic.**

 **Fett is not naturally a nice guy, he had to start as a child and fend for himself, sometimes allying with hunters who could take advantage of him whenever they wanted to (and often did). You want to talk about starting from the bottom? This guy is definitely up there, and as befitting a man who made it to the top? He's leagues above the kinds of men/creatures he'll run into here and it shows in his demeanor.**

 **I hate to beat a dead horse here, but Darth Vader? Mace Windu? A Sarlaac? The Butcher of Montellian Serat? The hunter legends such as Bossk, Zuckus and 4-LOM? These are Fett's legendary clashes, hes a survivor. For god's sake if you honestly think the JSDF (who consider this stomp in fantasy land their first deployment) would ever have an easy go taking down Fett? You're nuts, if it were so easy, why haven't other hunters done it yet? Why hasn't the Empire done it yet? Plot? Reluctance? Fett's reputation? Perhaps the fact that they would never be able to? In the end only the authors of the original works know. You'd be surprised what one man with unique skills would be capable of, history has shown us this.  
**

 **All the same, I'll say it here and now. Expect change in Fett. Those of us who know what his ultimate fate is? I haven't forgotten that...take that with a grain of salt.**

 **That been said, it feels great to be releasing this and I look forward to one on one PMING any of you who have questions or comments. I'm almost always available, so both good or bad you can always expect a hasty response.**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Who I Am  
**

 _"Foreigners aren't without honor. Take a look at any outsider who struggles against oppression or injustice and you will see someone with the body of an aruetii, but the soul of a Mando'ad_ _._ " - Jango Fett, on his decision to incorporate non-Mandalorian drill sergeants into the _Cuy'val Dar_

The aftermath of Italica was a somber one; citizens ran to and fro trying to find lost loved ones, the dead and wounded seen to by JSDF infantry teams. For the JSDF, it was a job well done, for the citizens it had been a roller coaster of emotions from beginning to end, but one man stood out from the rest in how he viewed it.

Alone he sat atop one of the courtyard wall's pillars, basking in the glory of his latest success.

Boba had a simple job, protect his clients. It was fate that had made the protection of Italica a necessity, a means to an end. Some called him a hero afterwards, praising him for his selfless devotion to the citizens by jumping right into the fray.

They couldn't have been any further from the truth, to stand in the way of Boba Fett's pay was to risk an inescapable death. The bandits had done that, so they paid for their mistake.

Easy money for an easy job.

Boba silently eyed the large bag of coins that sat in his hand, tossing it into the air and catching it every so often. For all his code's tenets, the teachings of the Resol'nare, and even the mystery he tried to veil himself in, he was a very simple man. There was no complexity to him, you gave him a job that stuck to his code and you paid him for it. If you got in his way or otherwise sullied his honor? You paid with more than just monetary means.

Simple, the kind of simple that was easy to catch onto. At least to him, most seemed to be slow learners.

As Boba caught the bag from his latest toss, he paused to take a look across the land. His visor scanning the horizon as the sun began to rise fully, things weren't so simple anymore, they hadn't been for a while.

He still had no idea where he was let alone a name for the place, he wasn't any closer to figuring out a way back, he was working alongside a military he knew next to nothing about. Then, of course, there was Rory, nothing felt right about that girl. She was swathed in an aura of deception and scheming, his instincts were screaming that to him since the moment he met her. Yet they also told him she had a big part to play, for a master that not even he could comprehend.

In time he'd find out, he always did.

Thinking about all this gave him a headache, the kind that only some fresh air would alleviate. So he did just that, he got some fresh air. He slowly disengaged the seal for his helmet, setting it down on his lap, and exposing his face to the sun and clean air.

Boba took a deep breath as he rubbed his forehead, for the first time in a long time he was stressed. Stressed about what the future held, stressed about just how far his beliefs and code could take him.

Suddenly his train of though was interrupted by a chuckle came from behind.

Grey.

"There you are, I thought you'd be with Itami and the others during the negotiations."

Without turning his head to face the old knight, Boba continued to gaze at the horizon.

"Politics isn't my thing, ultimately the fate of this town and its inhabitants rests of the shoulders of Itami and his military. I'm just passing through on another job."

He heard the clanking of armored boots as Grey made his way over towards one of the pillars parallel to Boba's. He slowly rested his broadsword against the wall, taking his time look out over the edge as well.

"Ah, politics. The bane of any level-headed warrior, our place isn't in the conference rooms. No, our place is on the battlefield, that's where we settle our agreements."

"I didn't see you out there."

"Really? Perhaps you should look harder next time, I'm not exactly hard to miss."

"Must be getting sloppy then, that or I was too busy focusing on killing bandits."

"Perhaps, too focused that is. Nothing sloppy about what you were doing out there Fett, no that was something else."

"Hardly my best work."

"Oh? Then again I doubt fighting a dragon could be bested."

"You'd be surprised."

"Would I? I'd actually enjoying hearing about any tale that could best that."

"Find me when I'm not working and maybe I will."

The two sat in silence for a moment, the sound of distant rotors and the voices of the town's inhabitants taking hold. Finally, Grey sighed as he turned around to face the courtyard, his tired old eyes watching as the inhabitants were aided by the JSDF soldiers.

"I've been down your road before you know, living by my sword and my coin bag. Eventually, you'll want to serve more than just yourself, to have a life worth living."

Boba slowly turned his head to look at the old knight, staring him down with his emotionless features. For Grey, this was his first time seeing Boba without his helmet on, he merely raised an eyebrow at Boba's face. He'd seen that visage before.

A man with a dark past.

"Have you? I can assure you Grey, killing for a paycheck is as far as our similarities go."

"Perhaps you're right Fett, but I do know one thing."

Boba raised an eyebrow, what could this old warrior possibly know about him? What would he know that just about no one else did?

"What would that be?"

"Pain caused you to travel down your road, you lost something or someone didn't you? I know those eyes, that face. They belong to a man who had no other choice, you found something you were good at and stuck with it. You don't know anything else."

For the first time in a long time, Boba sat there stunned, if but for only a moment. This random backwater knight had singlehandedly read him like an open book. Well, the very basic concept of who he was.

Yet he wasn't angry, no, in fact, he felt a sort of common understanding. There was an air of wisdom about this knight, a sort of wisdom not born but made. He was old, probably older than Boba himself, and yet here he was still fighting, still sticking to whatever code he believed in.

He respected that.

 _Kuwahara reminded me of Skirata, but you might as well **be** him. Wonder how you two would get along?_

"Surprised? Ah, I don't blame you, but let me tell you this Fett. It doesn't matter where you're from, a warrior's intuition is timeless. Just like when you first arrived here, you were absolutely correct about Hamilton and Pina. Though you were far off the mark about me, hence why I was prepared to duel you then and there. Though looking back, I'm kind of glad I didn't."

Boba nodded as a small smirk formed at the corner of his mouth, "Good choice old man."

"Indeed, but you're not exactly a youngster yourself."

"True."

Silence once more, soon a faint voice came through Boba's helmet, Itami's voice to be exact. He sighed as he redonned his helmet.

"What is it Youji?"

"We're getting ready to leave here soon, the Countess and Pina had wished for your presence at the meeting you know."

"For what? They only need to be thanking you, saving this town was a necessity for me. You can fill me in on the details on our way back to Alnus."

" _Hai_ , we'll meet you in the courtyard."

Boba shook his head as he hopped down off the pillar he had been residing atop off. He made his way over towards Grey and outstretched a hand.

"Well Grey, perhaps I was wrong about you at first. This has been one of the more interesting exchanges I've had since I got here."

As Grey's hand grasped Boba's in a firm warrior's hand shake he smiled, "Likewise Fett, perhaps we'll share a pint over a fire someday eh? Swap war stories?"

As the two finished their handshake Boba unslung his blaster and held it at the ready, giving a small nod.

"Sure, why not old man. Let's see if you can make it till then eh?"

"Hah, I still have some tricks up my sleeves. Even if they involve me making sure her highness doesn't get into any more trouble."

"Yeah I have a fool to watch over too, I know that feeling."

With that, Boba made his way towards the steps, but not before turning around one last time.

"Grey, there is one thing you got wrong, however."

The old warrior raised an eyebrow as he folded his arms, "Oh? And what's that?"

Boba hefted his blaster into the air with one hand, shaking the coin bag with his other. As the bag continued to jingle he addressed Grey's misinterpretation.

"This job of mine? I love it, and so long as I can fight? My road will _**never**_ end."

And with that, he made his way down the stairs.

 _A warrior's intuition is timeless, well said Grey._

* * *

 _En route to Alnus..._

The departure from Italica was hardly a quiet one, flocks of citizens came to wish Itami and RCT3 safe travels. Many had come to personally give their thanks to Boba, seeing him as a divine gift from the heavens themselves, the JSDF being the gods who brought him along.

In the end Boba had merely nodded, there was no sense in playing the cold bounty hunter card. If he was to operate among them later on, he'd need their respect. Perhaps one born more out of fear if anything, but respect none the less.

So with a few waves, the members of RCT3, the girls, and their gun for hire said their goodbyes, mounting into the trucks and leaving.

Boba was going to use this travel time to get some sleep, even he had his limits. Of course, fate had a different idea.

"You're a hero to these people now Fett, how does that feel?"

"I've been called a lot of things Kurata, hero has never been one of them. Ally maybe, but never hero."

 _Though that title may prove useful later on, a favorable reputation makes for lucrative business offers._

"Ah cmon, I'm sure you felt some sort of satisfaction after that fight. You did good, we did good. Hell, even Akira seems to have lightened up to you."

"The only satisfaction I felt was getting paid, which may I remind you I do require double for the Siren."

 _Even if she didn't put up a fight._

Itami rolled his eyes as he went back to looking out his window, "Yeah, I remember. She's being sent back to Alnus you know, command wants to ask her a few questions. Besides, I'm sure the last thing she needs is being around the people of the town she was going to attack. So, Fett, I have a question."

Boba remained unmoving as he responded, "Shoot."

"Right, well there's a Diet summons going on back in my world. It's essentially a big political talk, they just want to know how we're doing here on our campaign. The girls have been invited, you should come along too."

"Youji?"

"Yes?"

"We'll talk about this when we get back to Alnus."

"Uh...hai."

Boba leaned back against the troop bay's wall, for all the ruggedness the vehicles had, they certainly took the terrain well. In moments the satisfying feeling of rest began to overtake him, Lelei and Rory having already leaned against him to catch some sleep of their own. Tuka meanwhile mirrored the others, she too had experienced a long sleepless night.

This had made for a sight Itami found pleasant, to say the least. The image of Fett and the three girls coexisting peacefully was a positive step in the right direction. He was warming up to them, becoming the ally Itami wanted him to be. Perhaps even...a friend.

In truth Boba was just too tired to care, he'd be sure to give Rory a rude awakening when the time was right.

"Youji, wake me when we get to Alnus."

Itami merely gave a thumbs up and with that Boba drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Boba was usually a slight sleeper, but in truth, the position he had found himself in had brought a sense of comfort he hadn't felt in a long time. As steadfast as he was, the comfort of a female was still a powerful thing and Boba was still a human being.

So it was no surprise that he didn't immediately awaken when Kurata didn't slam on the brakes at the sight that emerged on the horizon, it was also no surprise that he didn't particularly pay attention to the conversation going on between Kurata and Itami.

No, what woke him up was the shouting that was now going on outside the truck, the radio exploding with shouts and yells of confusion and the fact that they weren't moving. In moments his instincts had kicked in, he jumped out of his seat causing a now disgruntled Lelei and Rory to fall against each other. He then promptly kicked the back door open and made his way to the front of the truck, the sight that awaited both confused and annoyed him to no end.

Itami was being held by the scruff of his collar by a blonde woman with ringlet styled hair, atop her head rested a steel tiara. What had caught Boba's eye was the fact that she was wearing the same ornate armor Pina and Hamilton had worn earlier. To make matters worse, she wasn't alone, formed in a half circle in front of the trucks, a whole platoon's worth of female knights sat atop their mounts, their swords drawn.

 _The Rose Order of Knights, Pina's toy soldiers._

This was a dire situation, one that called for decisive action and tact. Two things Boba had in spades, the woman had been so fixated on throttling Itami that she hadn't even noticed Boba's arrival.

Her knights certainly did though and their facial expressions mirrored that of Pina's and Hamilton's when they had first seen him. Boba raised his blaster and aimed it directly at the woman's head, his voice coming from his helmet with the same chill it always had when he was angry.

"Put him down...now."

As the knight turned her head to face Boba, her face went from anger to one of shock if but for only a moment. She quickly composed herself and tightened her grip on Itami's collar.

"Who are you to give demands!? I am Bozes Co Palesti of the Rose Order of Knights, the right hand of the Empire! We are the Emperor's will made manifest and you dare defy that will?!"

Boba's grip tightened around his blaster, he had half the notion of putting her down then and there, but patience was a virtue all of its own.

"Of course, you are, but where are my manners? I am Boba Fett, Mandalorian bounty hunter currently under employment by the JSDF. One of whom you just so happen to be man handling, now before things get ugly, I'll ask you this one time and one time only. Will we be doing this the easy way? Or the hard way?"

Itami struggled against Bozes's grip as he looked at Boba with wild eyes, "Fett! This is all a misunderstanding! Let's not make any rash decisions!"

Boba shook his head, seeing Itami like this was embarrassing. How could a grown man in charge of leading troops be put in a situation like this? It was like as if he didn't even try to fight back.

"Youji, quiet. The only ones here with the misunderstanding is them, frankly, I'm a little irritated that this is even a situation in the first place. You're embarrassing not only yourself but your men as well."

Boba returned his gaze back to Bozes, "Now what's it going to be?"

Bozes's face twisted into one of abject annoyance as she tossed Itami to the ground, drawing her sword she made her way towards Boba. Whoever this woman was, clearly she wasn't used to someone defying her.

"The only ones who will be asking any questions is us, we will not submit to your intimidation!"

Boba slowly lowered his blaster, "So the hard way then?"

Itami outstretched his hand as he stumbled to get up, "Fett! Don't!"

It was already too late, Bozes had made her decision. Now like any adult, she had to live with the consequences of that decision.

She had made the critical error of approaching Boba Fett with the posture of someone about to fight, truthfully she was just going to try and intimidate him some more. A good bounty hunter took nothing to chance, they acted off instinct, always prepared for a situation to spiral out of control.

So in this case, Boba had done just that, it was out of respect for Itami's wishes that Bozes would still be alive once he was done.

The desire to not waste ammo and not being paid to kill her were both valid arguments as well.

In seconds Boba had raised his gauntlet, his fiber cord shooting out and wrapping itself around Bozes's ankle. With a simple voice command and firm upwards tug, the knight was on the ground and screaming as she was dragged towards him. With his boot now firmly planted on her sword arm, his blaster aimed at her forehead, and his other gauntlet aimed at the rest of the knights, he was safely in control of the situation.

Bozes lay there terrified beyond all words, she never had the chance to speak, never even had the chance to make a move, and yet here she was defeated at the hands of a man she knew nothing about. She had never even killed someone before, yet here she was staring death right in the face.

Her mind wasn't prepared for it, for royalty to be made a mockery of. So she lay there, trying her hardest not to cry, trying to hold onto whatever pride she still had left.

"Bozes was it? Believe me, when I say we could have avoided all of this, I did give you a simple choice didn't I? For whatever reason, you chose the hard one. Fortunately, all of you still have a chance to walk away from this. But first things first, you are listening to me, this time, right?"

Bozes lay there silent, tears slowly creeping up into her eyes.

"Well?.."

"Y-yes."

"Good, now first things first, tell your knights to put away their weapons. Oh and Bozes? Here's a secret between us, if they come any closer? You're going to get hurt, really, really bad."

Bozes slowly looked back at the other knights, her voice trembling as she called out. "Sheathe your weapons! Just stay there! I'm f-fine!"

Hesitant at first, they slowly sheathed their weapons, nervous looks on their faces all the while.

By now Lelei, Tuka, and Rory had been peering from the side of the truck, curious as to what was going on. Boba didn't have to turn around to see them, his helmet was giving him a good view via its rear facing camera.

"Girls? Back in the truck, everything's fine."

As the three went back inside, Fett addressed Itami next.

"Youji? Radio your men and tell them to get ready to head back to Italica. We just avoided a pretty nasty situation here, no doubt Pina and the Countess will want to hear about it from both sides."

Itami merely nodded as he reached for his shoulder-mounted radio, meanwhile, Boba went back to addressing Bozes.

"Well so far so good, now this is where you come in. I'm going to remove my boot, you're going to sheathe your sword, then you're going to hop into the truck with us. Until this situation gets resolved, you're our prisoner, just how these things work. So, will you cooperate?"

Bozes lay there silently, weighing her options for a few moments before she finally sighed.

"I...yield."

"Good choice."

Keeping to his word, Boba removed his boot allowing her to sheathe her sword. As she did so, he lowered a hand, something she hadn't been expecting. In her world, prisoners were hardly treated fairly and she had half expected him to start beating her down once she yielded.

"I will say this Bozes, charging at the unknown like that. Very brave."

As he helped her to her feet, he brought his helmet inches away from her face.

"But also _**very**_ stupid. We aren't your enemies here, but don't think we won't hesitate to put you down if we need to."

 _Rookie._

With that Bozes was coerced into the back of the truck, as the doors closed Itami leaned out of his window.

"We're heading back to Italica! Your comrade here is safe and in good hands, everything will be resolved upon our arrival. So uh please just follow us!"

Unsure of what the future was to bring, but wanting to avoid any harm coming to Bozes, the knights merely nodded and followed in behind RCT3's trucks.

* * *

 _At the Formal Estate council room..._

Boba, Itami, the three girls, and the rest of RCT3 watched as Bozes and one of her tomboyish subordinates, received quite literally, a royal ass chewing.

Pina paced back and forth as she continued to yell, more nervous and frightened than anything else. Meanwhile, Hamilton and Myui watched with wide eyes, they had never seen her like this before.

"You attacked them!? What were you thinking!? I understand your commitment to our people, but do you have any idea who these people are?! Who Boba Fett is?! The consequences of what your actions almost did!?"

The two knights stood at attention, completely at a loss for words. To their defense, they had no idea what had transpired at Italica, or that there had even been peace negotiations in the first place.

Bozes stammered as she tried to defend herself, "Your highness we merely saw the smoke rising from Italica and feared the worst. We had to act, honor and commitment demanded that surely you understand?"

Pina stomped her foot as she pivoted in place to face them, "And surely you understand the graces befitting a noble! Have we stooped so low as to talk with only our weapons? What if these people had been subjects!? How can we ever win the hearts and minds of our people if we act no better than..than animals!?"

The two knights shook with fear as they continued to look down at the ground in shame. Before Pina could continue, the most unlikely of people stepped forward to put an end to this back and forth argument.

Boba.

Before he could proceed Itami noticed his body language and whispered.

"Fett, what are you going to do?"

"Relax Youji, I've been in situations like this before. I don't do politics, but I do know how to conduct business talks. What I see here is the potential for some compensation, when do you have to go through the gate?"

"Tomorrow afternoon."

"Perfect, we stay here for the night, catch our breaths, perhaps get a warm meal, and we leave by tomorrow morning."

Itami nodded in agreement, he could see the logic in that, besides some rest and relaxation were always good for the men.

"Well then, do what you do best Fett."

Boba merely nodded and slowly walked forward with a casual stride until he stood by the knights. As he did so, Pina stammered as she began to find her words.

"B-boba Fett please forgive them! They often act without thinking, perhaps Grey has failed us in our training after all surely you can understand."

The bounty hunter slowly put his hand forward to calm the now red-faced princess, "Go easy on them. A good warrior puts the needs of his or her people before themselves. In this situation, they saw a band of heavily armed unidentified soldiers leaving Italica. In their defense I might've been pretty suspicious myself if I was in their position. Especially If I had been called in to repel bandit attacks only a few days earlier."

He slowly turned his gaze towards the two other knights, as their gaze met his he slowly nodded before continuing.

"Be that as it may, you aren't wrong in your frustrations either. Good warriors also know to represent their people with tact, often they may be the first representative both on or off the battlefield. In this situation, they clearly failed to do just that, but as you can see no harm came to my clients and therefore ultimately no harm came to your knights either."

Pina slowly untensed as she began to calm down, "As ever you speak with wisdom in your words bounty hunter. Surely they could learn a thing or two from you."

"Your highness, your respect is flattering but unnecessary here. What we've reached is an impasse, your knights impeded our progress back to Alnus and almost broke the terms of the agreement laid forth, whatever the specifics may have been are certainly lost to me as I wasn't present."

"Surely..surely there must be something we can do to put this event behind us, to show you that we honor our agreements."

 _Now we're talking._

"Perhaps, we are to head back to Alnus no later than tomorrow morning, the men here are tired, hungry. Ordinarily I'd ask for monetary compensation, but in this situation, I think we can come to an agreement that would be beneficial for all parties involved."

 _Be firm, be fair. Don't budge on your conditions._

Pina paced back and forth for a few moments, deep in thought. After a few seconds of this, she stopped and faced Boba.

"Go on."

Boba nodded as he maintained a casual grip on his blaster, one hand on its stock and the other on its pistol grip.

"Your highness? I think I can speak on behalf of both my client and his team when I say this, a place to rest for the night and meal will be more than adequate to compensate for this misunderstanding."

Pina put a finger under her chin and turned to face Myui, she may have been in charge, but this was still Clan Formal's territory. Ultimately the decision fell upon the countess, one that she seemed happy to agree on and she nodded with a smile.

With a spring in her step, Pina turned to face Boba and the others.

"Then we are in agreement, tonight we shall hold a feast. We would be honored if you joined us, Fett."

Boba merely nodded, "I intend to."

With the arrangements set and both parties in agreement, Boba made his way back to Itam, but not before stopping one last time. He slowly looked over his shoulder as he addressed Pina.

"Your highness?"

"Yes?"

"Grey didn't fail you in his training if he did? Ultimately you'd be dead by now."

With that he went back to leaning against the wall he had previous been occupying, leaving Pina and her knights to reflect on what he had said. Meanwhile, Itami looked at the bounty hunter with wide eyes as he folded his arms.

"Fett, that was...remarkably civil of you. You know, you should step before the Diet, give your account of everything that's been going on here."

Boba merely shook his head as he watched Pina converse with the knights and Myui in hushed whispers.

"One of the most important things about conducting business in my line of work Youji? Often at times some well-placed words and a gesture can make for progress all of their own, blasters are all well and fine, but to become the best? You need to act like the best, a professional. As for your "Diet"? I highly doubt your people will want to hear what a bounty hunter has to say, but I would like to accompany you to your world. To see how modern civilization fairs right now."

Defeated, but reassured that Boba was even agreeing to come with them at all, Itami merely smiled and nodded.

"I'm sure we can arrange that."

"Good, now let's carry on with the evening. Oh and here's another lesson for you Youji."

"Another one? Let's hear it."

"A professional always catches his breath when time affords it, being less than your best is hardly beneficial to job completion."

Itami raised an eyebrow, "So?..What are you trying to say?"

Boba shook his head, it should have been a no-brainer.

"I could go for some food and a good night's rest. You and your men have earned that as well, a good day's work demands a good day's rest."

Itami felt his spirits slowly lift, Boba had actually said something kind for once. A small smile formed on his face as he let the thought sink in.

I knew there was some humanity deep down in there somewhere.

"Youji?"

"Yes?"

"Drop the smile, you look ridiculous."

Itami's facial expression slowly turned to one of embarrassment. He hadn't even noticed he was smiling in the first place.

"Oh.. _hai_."

 _Right back to square one..._

* * *

 _And thus the day continued...  
_

The rest of the day prior to the feast had been a slow one, but hardly uneventful. In fact much to Boba's disdain, it was _**too**_ eventful. He often enjoyed quiet time in between jobs, thus far he had received anything but that.

One of the more prominent moments had been when the soldiers of RCT3 were introduced to Clan Formal's servants. The first thing that Boba had taken note of was the fact that almost none of them were human, humanoid was the most applicable term. From snakes for hair, feline features, and even one with ears that extended way too high to be considered comfortable, they were there in full effect.

A quick lesson from the clan's elderly head maid Kane had revealed an interesting piece of information. Evidently the previous count of Formal had been a bit of an idealist. He believed in equality for all species and thus was an avid practitioner of hiring non-human servants. It was a chance for them to have refuge, a chance for purpose, and a chance for the gap between humans and non-humans to be brought just a little closer. Even with his death, that mentality continued to be maintained.

Boba was impressed, to say the least, man had lost his title as apex predator a long time ago in his galaxy. He knew that better than anyone, clashes with Wookies and Trandoshans were certainly hard lessons learned. Best bounty hunter or not, he could never call himself a racist. Not a big surprise, many of his clients were definitely not human.

While he had used this lesson as a chance to learn more about the various species that resided in this world, the soldiers of RCT3, most notably Kurata and Itami had been absolutely ecstatic.

As it turned out, in their world humanoids such as Formal's maids were a thing of popular discussion in fictional works. Most notably, the feline maid, in particular, had been one of the more prominent things in said works. Kurata and Itami acted like children before a sweets shop, their eyes bulging with excitement as they rattled off a thousand questions to her. In response to this, an unhelmeted Boba had rolled his eyes, telling them that these maids were "Very tame" in comparison to the thousands of species he had seen during his jobs. He also warned them that "If you idiots catch something, I'll wring you both by your necks." Not surprisingly, Kurokawa was very much in agreement with that remark.

The pair's excitement soon turned to outright jealousy, however, once the maids had figured out that Boba was the famed "Sky Man", they were very quick to surround him and attempt to cater to his every whim. Their inhuman eyes beamed with curiosity as they tried to hear his tales of valor, clinging to him and calling him "Master Fett" as they examined him from head to toe.

The maids' attentions were nothing new to the bounty hunter, many a visit to the crime lord Jabba The Hutt's palace had garnered similar attentions. The only difference being the fact that those attentions had come from slaves, a far cry from maids. Curiously enough, though, Jabba was just as dead as the Count. For a moment, Boba wondered just what became of those slaves. Did they all die on the barge at the Sarlaac clash? Were some of them left behind at his palace?

In the end, he merely shook his head and calmed the maids down, telling them that "Business came before pleasure".

Eventually, the evening came and with it the feast that was promised. In a large elaborate dining room, all parties that were to attend congregated and sat at a large wooden long table. The finest silverware was set out, not a single expense was taken to ensure that the guests were treated in the best way possible. As a sign of respect, both RCT3 and Boba had left their weapons and gear behind, garbed in their uniforms, or in Boba's case his undersuit. Though Boba was certainly far from unarmed, respect or not you could never be too sure.

Though the non-Special Region groups had no idea what sort of food lay in front of them, it was all finely prepared and hardly unappetizing. Even Boba of all people could respect a good host, and halfway through the meal, he personally thanked Myui and her maids for their hospitality. A compliment not lost on the maids as they giggled.

As the evening continued and the food put away, the moment everyone, or rather the Special Region residents present had been waiting on arrived. The moment where the strange new foreigners to their lands were to talk about where they came from.

Itami and RCT3 were the first to go, and their stories had brought many a raised eyebrow. Buildings made of steel? Cities filled with lights? Towers that almost touched the heavens themselves? It was all very much amazing to Pina and the others. So much so they demanded to accompany Itami and the others back to Alnus, desiring to not only further atone for their mistake earlier, but to see this new world for themselves. Perhaps further negotiations could go down? A chance to spare the Empire from a hellish fate?

In the end, Itami merely shrugged and nodded, he didn't see the harm in it. Once an agreement was made, all eyes fell upon Boba. For all the stories that Itami and his men had told, even they were curious to hear about another world. The one that Boba came from, even Lelei was curious, her earlier conversation with him just the tip of the iceberg.

Boba sat there for a moment, to tell them of his world could be a very good thing or a very bad thing. He could destroy the very concept of their way of life, what was normal to him could be considered the work of gods themselves. Even Itami and his team would be blown away by the sheer magnitude of it all, even if science was something they understood. So in the end, he told them what they needed to know, or rather what he wanted them to know.

He told them about how he didn't come from a world, but from the very stars themselves. He told them how mankind shared those very stars with thousands of other species, how there were thousands of languages and religions to go with those species. He continued and told them about the myriad of different worlds he had seen, from death worlds, city planets such as Coruscant, to beautiful agricultural ones such as Naboo.

He told them about Slave-1, his pride and joy, one that he might never see again. How his gadgets were but a taste of the technology that came from his galaxy. He then went on to tell them about the Jedi and Sith, how magic was very much real where he came from, but in a different way and under different paths.

He went on and on, all the while fascinating everyone present including a curious Grey who had stopped by.

Finally, he told them about the Mandalorians, his people, his walk of life. Of their warrior mentality and the six actions that bounded them together as one, the _Resol'nare_. How many of them were bounty hunters just like him and wore armor just like him.

Kuwahara and Grey had almost jumped at that idea, an entire order of warriors like Boba? They'd seen what just one Mandalorian could do. An entire group? That would be unspeakable.

Finally after what seemed like an eternity of answering questions, he raised a hand. That was enough for one evening, any more and their brains might implode from the possibility of it all. Thus, the time for stories was at an end, all sides having learned something from each other that evening.

Eventually, the offer to use the Clan's bath houses was put forth, a private one for Boba in particular. A free meal, a place to stay and a hot bath? Who could argue against that?

Boba certainly couldn't.

* * *

 _At the bathhouse...  
_

Fett leaned back against the side of the vast pool, the warm water felt soothing against his aching bones. In the quiet steam, he felt at peace for the first time in a long time, alone with his thoughts. Earlier a few of the maids had come to tend to him. Whether they came of their own accord or in some attempt by Pina or Myui to garner his favor for the clan, he was unsure.

Once their hands began to wander to places they didn't belong that had been the end of that.

"Ladies? I can take care of my own armaments thank you. Perhaps you could see to Itami and Kurata though, I'm sure they'd appreciate it."

Against their protests he slowly sent them off, a lesser man would have caved into his desires and would have had his way with them. Boba was not such a man and although he looked upon them and admired their beauty, there was one simple fact that hardly anyone ever knew about him.

His belief that sex before marriage was immoral.

In his eyes celibacy was the ultimate test of a man's mettle, to put aside desires in pursuit of a righteous cause. Whether or not having a family would be a liability to his job, was another matter. In truth he had long dreamed of dying of old age, to set Slave-1 on autopilot and forever drift among the stars. Often at times, however, he also dreamed of carrying on his father's legacy, to pass his knowledge onto a son, to train them just as his father had trained him.

 _Without being killed._

Boba had no clan, no woman had ever come close to being able to win his favors ultimately. A Mandalorian took pride in his clan, his family. Mandalorian bonds were stronger than any blaster and more durable than even the toughest _beskar'gam_. For all his strength, at his core, the galaxy's most dangerous bounty hunter was still human and with all the doubts that came with it at times.

Dismissing the thoughts, he slowly ran his hands along his face as his mind raced over the day's events, he had cast it aside as nothing at first, but slowly the feeling came back.

Just how unusually civil he had been today.

Boba was not an evil man, no evil was a subjective term. Harsh and firm sure, but never evil. He had never killed innocents and never done anything his father wouldn't do. Yet at the same time, he had been almost unusually kind today, in fact he almost felt a sort of fondness beginning to grow.

Here in this new world, he didn't have a reputation, not one particularly big yet anyways. In this new world, not everyone was out to kill him, not everyone was out to take his place.

What of his own world? Would he ever get back? No doubt Dengar had already picked up _Slave-1_ and delivered it to Mandalore per his request. Dengar was a dog, but he was a loyal dog. His rescue from the mouth of the Sarlaac had forged that reputation, Boba being the best man at his wedding solidified it.

Boba slowly looked at the ceiling as the steam began to overtake him, his mind wandering at the myriad of possibilities in front of him.

Then it hit him, there was an opportunity right in front of him, one he should have seen sooner. In this world, he could start new, his reputation would grow just as fast as it had back in his galaxy. There wasn't a man or beast that could oppose him, and no doubt the JSDF would be more than willing to allow him free reign if it meant the promise of shared technology.

An unopposed job market with clients everywhere, not a rival in sight. He had almost thought about Itami's world for a moment, but the notion quickly left him. No doubt there would be just as many schemers and backstabbers there as there was in his own galaxy. The JSDF would possibly become the new governing body or, at least, do away with the Empire and establish a puppet government.

With access to JSDF's munitions and technology, he could possibly even retrofit his own gear, perhaps even make more.

A slow smile spread across his lips as he slowly sank under the water.

Business was going to be better than it ever had before. As for his increased civility, well.

Even he was humane.

* * *

 **Mandalorian Words Used and Their Translations**

Beskar'gam-Iron skin, also known to talk about Mandalorian iron, the material used in Mandalorian armor.

* * *

 **Before I get hit with the "Aww no sexy times?"**

 **Read the book Last One Standing, Boba Fett is very much Celibate.**

 **For the sake of logic, I went ahead and had this version of Fett not meet Sintas. It would leave a lot more unanswered questions, plus double marriages hardly makes for any sort of future pairings, woops! Let that one out...  
**

 ***Update*-People yes I understand about Sintas and Ailyn, that Fett would technically be a grandfather, I'd like to direct you to a quote that I saw on some forums.**

 **" _I think Boba has an extremely poor self image. And deep down he blames himself for his father's death. Add that to the fact that the galaxy as a whole pretty much proclaims him to be a monster, and you get a terrible self-loathing complex hidden beneath the surface._**

 _ **Maybe, when he first held that little baby girl and realized just who's hands she was resting in, fear gripped him and he ran...he just ran.**_

 _ **He thought he wasn't good enough to raise her.**_  
 _ **Why curse her with a monster for a father?**_  
 _ **He deals in doom and leaves death in his wake, nothing a child ever needs.**_  
 _ **He didn't deserve anything normal, he wasn't even a "real person", just a clone.**_  
 _ **Who was he to try and have a normal life when he destroyed so many others via his profession?**_  
 _ **His very image meant danger to his family if they were ever discovered.**_

 _ **And...this is the clencher...the only person he ever truly loved was Jango, his father. When Jango died, it ripped Boba apart at the core. So when he saw his daughter, the notion of loosing something so precious again was entirely too much to bare. He couldn't bring himself to take the chance...**_

 _ **So he seems cold, brutal, and heartless... Leaving a young wife and newborn baby in a lurch. Indeed, there is no excuse for it. But there is perhaps reasoning behind the action...be it entirely sane or not.** _

_**Boba Fett disassociated himself from his wife and child because of his own guilt, fear, and thoughts of inadequacy."**_

 **Now think on that, powerful stuff indeed, but think once more. Fett NEVER remarried, never made that mistake twice. Eventually he did reconcile his feelings regarding the situation, but never the less he went on to lead Mandalore single.**

 **In my story I want Fett to be thrust into new situations, perhaps maybe he might even make that mistake for the first time who knows? Point is, if I go that route it will make for a "true" Fett, but it will also make for a Fett who will probably never change his ways, something I want to show in this new world.**

 **Maybe he'll find new purpose? Perhaps something will happen that will throw a switch? I can't do any of that If I make him a self loathing forever grim dark man. This is fanfiction, the possibilities of "What ifs?" We have Warhammer 40k crossovers with Space Marines actually cooperating with people who don't even know who the Emperor is, and mind you some of them are really good. Point is, I want to experiment here, show Fett in a different light.**


	8. A Sincere Apology to All My Readers

**A VERY sincere apology**

Alright, this is the first and hopefully last time I'll ever have to do this.

It's been a while, well a LONG while since I've last updated. I'm sure as YOU the reader are looking at this, you probably got excited at seeing the update come through email or seeing the crossover rise to the top of the list.

This is what makes what I'm about to say next so painful. I'm abandoning this fiction, this update is to let all of you know as a sign of respect so you don't get left in the dark.

Why you ask? Well I'll be frank.

Here We Go Again is simply taxing my brain to its limits, it's a beast of a story in that I have to juggle a lot in. When I actually DO get around to working on writing, I have to devote that time to THAT story. As you can see, this one takes the hit as a result.

If there's one thing I've grown to hate, it's stories that just never get updated and the author vanishes. I'm sure all of you feel the same way. What happens next is a story that gets followed and favorited and those readers sit there hoping and waiting for another update.

And it just never comes.

I hate that and I've been nothing short of embarrassed to subject all of YOU to that. I respect ALL of my readers, all the ones who PM me and ask how things are going and how the story process is going.

The enthusiasm, it's really something you know? The one on one discussions and brain storming always a treat.

I have to be honest in that I NEVER thought this story would actually get this much attention, I figured my portrayal of Fett wasn't anything that hadn't already been done before.

Evidently I was wrong, but I should have known better than to just think of this idea spur of the moment. The name Boba Fett isn't something you throw around lightly either. In truth, I hadn't planned ahead.

Oh sure watching Fett zip around and kicking ass is fun, but GATE fanfiction and its crossovers should be about more than that. Truth be told I wasn't sure where I was going to go with this in the end. I had an idea, but it wasn't concrete and I'll be honest in saying it was VERY hard to wrap my mind around.

Probably would've been double for all of you.

Either way, I wanted all of you to KNOW what was going on. I'm doing this out of respect, but you know what they say. The road to ruin is paved with good intentions. I'm sure I'll get plenty of hate, but that's nature of the beast. Will I ever pick this back up? Maybe, only time will tell.

When HWGA is done, I might come back and start something else GATE related. Something better for me to write and all of you to read. Something planned out to the fullest and constantly updated in order to not leave you guys in the dark.

Anyways, that's that. Hope ya'll can understand why I did this and why I'm leaving this fic behind. I want to take it down, but I'm not sure I should leave it here as a sort of inspiration for someone else to come along and do better than what I did. Keep it going so to speak.

Time for me to get back to work on the big beast.

Faust.


End file.
